Citizens Initiative Reviews (CIR)
Citizens’ Initiative Reviews are a randomly selected representative group of voters who thoroughly and fairly evaluate ballot measures and write a Citizen’s Statement that provides voters with essential objective information they need to vote.
Benefits
Gives voters information on ballot measures they can trust
Ensures that diverse perceptions are voiced and elevated for voter consideration
Guarantees the existence of objective and non-polarizing voter information
How it works
1. Lottery Selection
10k randomly selected registered voters from around the state are invited to participate in the CIR. Of those who respond to the invitation, 20 to 24 voters are selected to be the CIR Delegates by using a blind process that ensures the demographic and political diversity of the state is represented within the Review Panel.
2. Orientation
CIR Delegates are taught by our professional staff about the process, how to collaborate and deliberate throughout the CIR with one another and the staff, and learn methodologies to develop criteria for evaluating the reliability of the information they’ll receive.
3. Information Gathering
CIR Delegates hear testimonies on ballot measures from campaign advocates and independent experts. A Q&A is conducted for Panelists to ask questions and probe for more information and understanding about the nuances of the ballot measures.
4. Deliberation
CIR Delegates deliberate in small groups and pairs with the support of our professional staff and moderators to discuss policy tradeoffs, cost benefits, and underlying values while helping each other to distinguish campaign spin from reliable facts.
5. Citizen’s Statement
CIR Delegates write a Citizen’s Statement that includes key findings about the measure, the best reasons to vote for it, and the best reasons to vote against it. This statement is then distributed and published as widely as possible so all voters have access to reliable and trustworthy information on ballot measures.
See it in Action
We are best known for Oregon’s Citizens’ Initiative Review (CIR), which is one of the most researched deliberative processes in the world and was one of the first modern Civic Assembly.