By the People, for the People
A Proposal to Reimagine U.S. Democracy
By the People, for the People is a proposed nonpartisan, public civics education and deliberate action initiative to reimagine a strong, responsive and truly representative U.S. democracy, and to restore trust, accountability and engagement in American government. The initiative would involve collaboration among a broad spectrum of nonpartisan civil society groups, civic leaders, democracy practitioners and democracy scholars focused on rebuilding Americans’ confidence in and awareness of democratic norms and critical government functions, state by state. The culmination is a reimagining of the institutions of our democratic constitutional republic through a convening of a national People’s Assembly.
The Challenge
In recent decades, the foundational principles of our U.S. democracy have faced unprecedented obstacles. These include the emergence of leaders who openly undermine core democratic principles and values; an American populace often not committed to democratic norms; and a lack of robust participation in democratic institutions and processes.
While still believing in the overall concept of democracy, many Americans don’t expect adherence to democratic norms when their party is in power. A 2024 Democracy Fund study found that only small percentages of Americans consistently hold pro-democracy views on key tenets of democracy. Just 27% support actions like accepting electoral results, rejecting political violence, and governmental checks and balances.
Additionally, few U.S. adults surveyed are satisfied with our democracy (Gallup 2024). Nearly three quarters of Americans believe that the U.S. used to be a good example of democracy but has not been in recent years (Pew 2024).
While the nation has a history of highly impactful protest and reform (such as with the civil rights movement), most Americans today do not participate in our democratic institutions.
The U.S produces some of the lowest turnout rates of established democracies around the world, with fewer Americans actively participating in broader civic institutions. Americans feel disconnected from the political process and do not believe it works for people “like them,” while trust in government is at a historic low (Pew 2022). This has been further exacerbated by an increasingly polarized media and communications landscape that encourages Americans’ hyperpartisan identities.
Going forward, Americans need to trust and believe in their democratic institutions. The U.S. needs a democracy that delivers for all Americans, and one in which they are motivated to preserve, participate in and ensure accountability.
Such a transformation can only happen by making fundamental changes to our political and civic systems, ones that forge a deeper connection to democratic values and produce outcomes that are truly reflective of people’s needs and interests. At the same time, a strong understanding of democracy is needed that better equips Americans to evaluate changes and successfully implement reforms.
The By the People, for the People initiative provides the infrastructure for the American people and civil society organizations to create a movement not tied to the election cycle and without partisan identities in order to reimagine a better democracy for the common good.
The Path Forward for Change
The By the People, for the People initiative will be a two-phase national effort involving broad spectrum of nonpartisan civil society groups, civic leaders, democracy practitioners and democracy scholars.
Phase I: State-by-state, nonpartisan Public Civics Campaigns focused on rebuilding awareness of the importance of democratic norms and critical government functions. A state coalition comprised of a broad spectrum of civil society groups would be established in each state to lead their respective public civics campaigns. Before a full 50-state roll-out, a test campaign would be piloted in two to six states—half blue, half red —to refine concepts and approach.
Phase II: Convening of a national People’s Assembly in Washington D.C., comprised of delegates selected by each state coalition. The People’s Assembly would produce a Democracy Roadmap of comprehensive democratic institutional reforms, forged on common ground and aimed at achieving a stronger, more responsive U.S. democracy and engendering high levels of trust, engagement and accountability in government.
Click here for more details on Phase 1 and Phase 2
Innovation
The People’s Assembly will be the first people’s assembly convened in the U.S. at a national level, representing all 50 states, on the topic of American democracy reform (making the case for multiple types of reforms in the public and private sector). The key to its success will be building the capacity of Americans as democratic actors before the formation of a People’s Assembly so that Americans more fully support the work of the Assembly, widely believe in its mission, and are receptive to the innovative change the Democracy Roadmap will bring. The gradual and transparent grassroots process of building state coalitions will also be critical for the legitimacy of the People’s Assembly and to achieve genuine buy-in from civil society leaders, media, policy makers, and most importantly, the American people.
The By the People, for the People initiative provides the infrastructure for the American people and civil society organizations to create a movement together, not tied to the election cycle and without partisan identities, to reimagine a better democracy for the common good. The initiative’s work would be supportive of the many impactful pro-democracy efforts in the U.S, as the initiative collaborates with these efforts across the nation.
All the initiative’s work will be conducted transparently and regularly communicated to the public and media. Transparent communication channels will be established with formal professional associations of elected officials and policymakers. The objective will be to inform them of the initiative’s goals so they recognize its value, and are receptive to working with state coalitions and the public on adoption of the Democracy Roadmaps’ comprehensive recommendations when publicly released.
Public sector reforms could include legislation, regulations or constitutional amendments. Private sector reforms would be actionable by civil society. Examples of reform topics that the People’s Assembly might consider in their deliberations include: limiting the political influence of big money; electoral reforms making elections more competitive; mandating greater transparency by elected officials; expanding civics education; independent redistricting reform; regulation to combat disinformation; increasing nonpartisan investments (from government, philanthropy, and communities) in civic and voter mobilization; creating more direct democracy pathways; democracy vouchers; and other participatory reforms.
This initiative will directly address low levels of awareness of democratic government norms by building on existing levels of support for U.S. democracy. It will acknowledge the common belief that our democratic institutions and elected officials don’t accurately represent the people’s needs, as well as the low levels of trust in government due to the differential experiences of U.S. communities. This initiative will address historic and current systemic barriers to democratic participation (resulting in disparate outcomes) by building a new democracy that is representative of the needs of all Americans and that ensures equitable and accessible pathways for participation and representation. Americans from all communities will benefit from this sustainable outcome.
We note that the state civics campaigns would also serve as a resource for elected officials, other decision makers and media who may need nonpartisan information and materials to cite when publicly explaining/defending democratic norms and good governance practices.
Why Now
Our current U.S. democratic system has been in decline for years and is ultimately not sustainable due to the low levels of trust and engagement. A growing number of civil society leaders, democracy practitioners and scholars believe that Americans are dangerously unprepared to support democracy in the face of a current or future political crises under any leadership.
Bottom line, America is on an accelerated path to becoming a democracy in name only. Momentum is building for enacting significant and sustainable change. Now more than ever, we must come together to find common ground and build a better democracy together—one that truly functions “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” This bold nonpartisan initiative provides a viable and do-able path toward achieving that goal.
