{"id":2285,"date":"2026-05-21T13:39:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T13:39:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/21\/this-is-something-that-could-work-can-civic-assemblies-put-the-people-back-into-politics\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T13:39:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T13:39:54","slug":"this-is-something-that-could-work-can-civic-assemblies-put-the-people-back-into-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=2285","title":{"rendered":"\u2018This is something that could work\u2019: can civic assemblies put the people back into politics?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"6d39ed1d-1338-422e-94ab-b07c728d1bc9\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"people sign documents\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/4826fd87465d3b9acc4f8015eb89489a829aa649\/206_0_1019_815\/master\/1019.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"371.9087340529931\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Civic assembly participants in Akron, Ohio, sign a covenant before the process begins in March 2026.<\/span> Photograph: Photo courtesy Unify Akron<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"6d39ed1d-1338-422e-94ab-b07c728d1bc9\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Civic assembly participants in Akron, Ohio, sign a covenant before the process begins in March 2026.<\/span> Photograph: Photo courtesy Unify Akron<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">\u2018This is something that could work\u2019: can civic assemblies put the people back into politics?<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-b3fmmo\">\n<p>US cities are turning to randomly selected residents to help resolve divisive policy debates<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><span style=\"color:var(--drop-cap);font-weight:500\" class=\"dcr-15rw6c2\">A<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/los-angeles\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Los Angeles<\/a> software engineer, Hunter Futo, recalled being \u201cdisaffected and apolitical\u201d for years but experienced an about-face recently: now, she\u2019s leading resident debates, helping guide local governance reforms and even pushing for more options for Angelenos to help create policy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">For Futo, the turnaround happened in January, when she and a few other LA residents were randomly selected to lay out a vision of local values for the first-ever preamble for the city charter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Weeks later, she helped moderate a much larger <a href=\"https:\/\/healthydemocracy.org\/home\/projects\/losangeles\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">\u201ccivic assembly\u201d<\/a> \u2013 a group of a few dozen randomly selected residents, compensated for their time, who talk with experts and deliberate over a complicated local issue \u2013 to make recommendations for city charter reforms for the first time in two decades.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">After meeting for nearly 30 hours, the group <a href=\"https:\/\/www.democracy.community\/stories\/la-charter-assembly-recommends-1st-council-expansion-century\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">presented nine recommendations<\/a>, including expanding the city council from 15 to 25 seats and instituting regular civic assemblies. The reform commission ended up adopting nearly all of the policy recommendations, and the proposed reforms now move to the city council and potentially to a public ballot in November.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cWe rose to the occasion,\u201d Futo said. \u201cThat\u2019s what gave me faith in this process, that this is something that could work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Civic (or citizens) assemblies have been slow to catch on in the US, but they are suddenly spreading to address complicated local issues \u2013 often ones that have left the public and local officials at loggerheads.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">An assembly in Lexington, Kentucky, for instance, recently <a href=\"https:\/\/civiclex.org\/civic-assembly\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">recommended that the city council be more transparent about their attendance and job expectations<\/a>; another in Raleigh, North Carolina, debated how the community could best use the <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighnc.gov\/planning\/services\/reflecting-raleigh-civic-assembly\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">land around the city\u2019s mass transit<\/a>. Connecticut is currently putting together the country\u2019s first state-wide assembly <a href=\"https:\/\/ct-citizens-assembly.org\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">to deliberate over the outsized role that property taxes<\/a> play in paying for local services.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Elected officials say civic assemblies offer them a more robust understanding of where the public stands on a complex local issue, while participants say these processes give them a sense of direct participation in governance \u2013 and an appreciation of how their communities can work together.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cIt always seems to happen when you sit down at a table and bring lived experiences and solve a problem together \u2013 it\u2019s like magic. This is a table apart from yelling, from politics as usual \u2013 it\u2019s its own environment,\u201d said Wayne Liebman, co-founder of Public Democracy LA, a non-profit that helped spark the city\u2019s recent assembly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cPeople know they\u2019re in a special place \u2013 they\u2019re in the democracy place. They\u2019re going to be listened to. When people are treated that way, they step up.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"including-residents-in-policymaking\" class=\"dcr-12ibh7f\">Including residents in policymaking<\/h2>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Civic assemblies have been increasingly integrated into European countries over the past decade. Within the US, they have been slow to gain a foothold.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Since the first \u201cofficial\u201d US civic assembly was held in 2022 in Petaluma, California, <a href=\"https:\/\/publicaccessdemocracy.org\/petaluma-citizens-assembly\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">to figure out what to do with a local fairgrounds<\/a>, about a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fidemocracy.org\/news\/revitalizing-cycles-of-trust\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">dozen more<\/a> have taken place across the country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The Foundation for Innovation in Democracy (FIDE) launched a North America chapter two years ago to advocate and train on civic assemblies. Marjan Ehsassi, executive director of the chapter, said the organization is seeing interest coming not just from community groups but also elected officials. This month, FIDE will bring high-level officials from five governors\u2019 offices for a study trip to Brussels, where assemblies have become a regular part of governance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Elected officials are \u201ccoming to us to say, \u2018Help me reach more marginalized voices. I\u2019m tired of hearing from the usual suspects,\u2019\u201d Ehsassi said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">For a typical assembly, a few dozen residents are chosen through postcards sent to random addresses. Final participants are then brought together over the course of several days to address a specific question or issue, with expert discussion and delegate deliberation taking place in specific, agreed formats, facilitated by trained moderators.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"550699f5-75a2-4db3-8336-ef543a47f2d5\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"people sit at tables\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/3567b0ccdc7bc5a367233796a0a0012d55e3d7de\/848_0_4016_3213\/master\/4016.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"356.02216135458167\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"550699f5-75a2-4db3-8336-ef543a47f2d5\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Participants take part in a mini assembly in Los Angeles in December 2025 ahead of a full civic assembly on reforms to the city charter.<\/span> Photograph: Courtesy of Public Democracy LA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">For instance, a 2024 assembly in Fort Collins, Colorado, brought together 20 residents to focus on the contentious question of what to do with an old sports stadium site. After two weekends of work, the group recommended a multi-use location including environmental restoration and recreation; the resulting recommendations were put on a public ballot, <a href=\"https:\/\/ourcity.fcgov.com\/future-of-hughes\/news_feed\/2025-election-results-update\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">which passed in November<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Liebman, of Public Democracy LA, foresees future assemblies working on a range of larger local and national issues: budgeting and redistricting, police reform and gun safety, healthcare and immigration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Other countries have shown it\u2019s possible. Ireland memorably used the approach to legalize abortion and same-sex marriage, while Paris and Belgium have established permanent civic assemblies.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"deliberating-vexing-issues\" class=\"dcr-12ibh7f\">Deliberating vexing issues<\/h2>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">One civic assembly garnering local and national attention is in Washington\u2019s Snohomish county, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snococivicassembly.org\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">where 40 residents began deliberating <\/a>this month on how the local government should use AI tools.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">To get educated on the issue, participants are taking part in a process akin to \u201cexpert speed dating\u201d, moving around in small groups to informally chat with experts, said Jillian Youngblood, executive director of the National Civic League\u2019s Civic Genius program, which is overseeing the process.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cRight now, if you don\u2019t embrace AI, you\u2019re made to feel like a Luddite \u2013 it\u2019s framed as inevitable,\u201d said Youngblood. \u201cThis feels like a tangible way that anyone can potentially have some agency on how it gets rolled into our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">A Snohomish county councilmember, Nate Nehring, said he was hoping for recommendations on both AI use and potential guardrails. \u201cIt is rare to have an opportunity where a group of residents are working together to generate policy proposals on a topic which has yet to be deliberated upon by the legislative branch,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Residents in Akron, Ohio, last week wrapped up a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unifyakron.org\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">10-week civic assembly<\/a> focused on another key national issue: housing concerns. Akron faces a host of challenges related to housing, the Akron planning director, Kyle Julien, said, pointing to affordability and growing homelessness, as well as absentee landlords not fulfilling their obligations to tenants and cash buyers dominating local housing markets. The assembly\u2019s results are set to be presented to city officials on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Akron business consultant Kevin J Smith, a housing assembly delegate, said that he knew nothing of the civic assembly concept before his selection but that he couldn\u2019t turn down the opportunity to participate: \u201cThe issue is too important for me to have that opportunity and not engage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">His experience had been fantastic, Smith said, lauding the opportunity to engage at a higher level with city officials and saying he expected the process would provide real solutions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Akron housing assembly organizers, Unify America, which works nationally and is also planning an assembly in Dayton, Ohio, are looking at the efforts as a first of many in these two communities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThese are really powerful events, but they\u2019re typically thought of as events \u2013 one-time things,\u201d said the non-profit\u2019s Morgan Lasher. \u201cSo the way our model is trending is, how do we give local communities the tools to run these things over and over?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Back in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/los-angeles\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Los Angeles<\/a>, Futo said the assembly process had helped her become not only politically engaged but also more aware of the problem-solving capacity of her neighbors. She recalls having repeatedly watched participants on opposing sides of an issue come to an agreement on a policy proposal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cI was blown away \u2013 you don\u2019t ever see that online,\u201d she said. \u201cI went from being apolitical to being an activist.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US news<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/series\/building-power\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Building power<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-midterm-elections-2026\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US midterm elections 2026<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/los-angeles\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Los Angeles<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/west-coast\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">West Coast<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/features\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">features<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98This%20is%20something%20that%20could%20work%E2%80%99:%20can%20civic%20assemblies%20put%20the%20people%20back%20into%20politics?&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/21\/elected-officials-civic-assemblies-la?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F21%2Felected-officials-civic-assemblies-la&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/21\/elected-officials-civic-assemblies-la\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Civic assembly participants in Akron, Ohio, sign a covenant before the process begins in March 2026. Photograph: Photo<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2285\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}