Dear friends,

Do you live in Oregon?  Do you have friends, associations, networks in Oregon?  If you do, I'm urging you to spread the word on one of the most important developments toward a wiser democracy in the US.

Although most Oregonians don't know it — and you and I are going to change that — Oregon just held the first citizen deliberative councils ever to be officially authorized by a government in the US.  Oregonians live in the first state to officially bring the “voice of the whole” — a legitimate, deliberative voice of We the People, above and beyond partisan debate — into public discourse, into the homes of voters, and into the official business of government.

Here's what happened:  Two “Citizen Initiative Reviews” — panels of randomly selected ordinary Oregonian voters — have passed “informed public judgment” on two ballot initiatives Oregonians will be voting on this November.  Authorized by the state legislature and the governor, their thorough study, expert interviews, and deliberations have clarified the issues and facts so Oregon's voters can more intelligently decide how to vote, to reflect their highest values.  These ordinary citizens have cut right through the partisan noise and TV ads that muddy up the initiative process.

This innovation could revolutionize elections.  The initiative form of direct democracy could once again become a tool of the popular will.  Broader use of the Citizen Initiative Review process could overcome special interests bent on turning popular will against the common good.

The only thing needed now to turn this budding breakthrough into a full-fledged transformation is for Oregonians to read, think about, and talk about the Citizen Initiative Review statements in Oregon's Voter Information Booklets (see the links below).   So we need to tell all our friends and associates in Oregon to do that.  If enough people see these statements — and realize how incredibly valuable they are compared to the repetitive, manipulative partisan spin and mudslinging that usually fill the airwaves and Voter Information Booklets — they will demand more of this kind of We the People voice in more aspects of our political life and governance.

I want to stress how important this is:  This initiative goes beyond surveys, because it is deliberative and it reveals common understandings, not just individual opinions.  If this spreads, we'll find ourselves on a really different political playing field, with new rules of play.  This is a potential game changer.  We have a chance to make a difference with it RIGHT NOW, during this one month before elections.

Please do what you can.

Below is a message I received from Healthy Democracy Oregon who spearheaded this remarkable innovation:

Continue reading “Journal: Oregon First “Smart State?” Learn More…”