On February 18, on the sidelines of the National Governors Association Winter Meeting, Meridian International Center and FIDE – North America convened a group of U.S. Secretaries of State, senior state leaders, and democracy experts for a workshop on state innovation in civic engagement. 

The workshop was part of the Deliberative State Governance initiative led by FIDE – North America to strengthen public participation in local governance through citizens’ assemblies. By incorporating citizens’ voices and creating space for informed dialogue, officials and policymakers can generate creative solutions to complex problems while building trust within communities. The workshop concluded with a reception featuring prominent voices in the national security and democracy spaces, as well as philanthropic leaders and elected officials at the national and state levels. 

Here Were the Top Takeaways from the Program:

1. Citizens’ assemblies complement representative democracy  

As societies must address complex policy problems stemming from technological advancement and rapid societal changes, traditional electoral cycles often limit the quality of civic debates and engagement. Low voter turnout and polarized town halls underscore the need for new solutions. Citizens’ assemblies offer a structured complement to representative democracy to tackle intractable societal challenges. Randomly selected citizens are guided in a process of deliberation on high-stakes issues that require thoughtful tradeoffs rather than quick solutions. Their recommendations can inform legislative decision-making, strengthen institutional legitimacy, and improve the quality of democracy.  

2. Design determines success 

The effectiveness of citizens’ assemblies depends on thoughtful design. Key elements include: a clear mandate on a policy question with space for action and deliberation, randomized participant selection that mirrors community demographics, neutral expert input to inform deliberation, skilled facilitation to guide discussion, and defined pathways for implementation. Public credibility increases when government formally responds to recommendations and clearly communicates next steps, even when not adopting every proposal. 

3. A growing global movement increasing government effectiveness 

Citizens’ assemblies are delivering results globally and locally. In Ireland, citizens’ assemblies helped break decades-long political deadlocks on landmark policy reforms. In Canada, they elevated youth voices into policymaking for more ambitious approaches to sustainable development. In France, the model helped mitigate deep societal tensions and mistrust toward government. Across the United States, states and cities are experimenting with in-person, digital, and hybrid models that expand access and reduce barriers to participation. States and local governments are uniquely positioned to pilot and scale democratic innovations given their proximity to constituents.  

4. The deep benefits for trust and civic health 

Beyond policy outcomes, citizens’ assemblies transform democratic culture. In Ireland and Canada, these deliberative processes changed the way communities have difficult conversations. Meaningful engagement in decision-making not only increases citizens’ trust in institutions and in one another, but also government officials’ confidence in citizens’ capacity for nuanced deliberation and considered judgment resulting in quality proposals. Over time, this builds democratic “fitness,” strengthening citizens’ ability to collaborate, deliberate, and solve public problems together. 

5. Deliberation strengthens democratic resilience  

Deliberative processes elevate the voices of most citizens seeking constructive solutions rather than partisan conflict. At a time of tense political polarization, citizens’ assemblies demonstrate how participatory approaches can strengthen social cohesion and enable government to be more responsive, inclusive, and adaptive. By providing structured, representative processes for addressing complex public challenges, they help build consensus and enable policy breakthroughs on issues that have paralyzed traditional politics, strengthening democracy from the ground up.