2014 Citizens Initiative Review Pilot

Healthy Democracy partnered with Engaged Public and The Civic Canopy to pilot a Citizens Initiative Review process at the state level in Colorado in 2014. A citizen panel of 20 Colorado voters – chosen at random from the voting population of Colorado and balanced to fairly reflect the state’s voting population – evaluated Proposition 105, which dealt with the labeling of GMO foods.

The clip below features 2014 Colorado CIR citizen panelists Bill Wright and Ben Hamilton and Brenda Morrison of Engaged Public discussing Prop 105 and the CIR process. (From the October 17, 2014 episode of Colorado State of Mind on Rocky Mountain PBS.)

Colorado Citizens' Statements

Proposition 105 (2014)

Project Partners

Recent Tweets

Our Program Manager, Linn Davis, gives an introduction to the rationale for and process of a local government Citizens Jury, using the example of the Nov 2019 Milwaukie Citizens Jury on Council Compensation in @CityofMilwaukie. youtu.be/1ib4YiKqGso healthydemocracy.org/cj/milwaukie
— Healthy Democracy @(healthydem) 1 month ago

ICYMI: In November, we'll be consulting on the first-ever Citizens' Initiative Review in the birthplace of modern direct democracy: Switzerland. We feel almost like we've been asked to advise on wine-making in France or hockey in Canada – we're surprised but honored. #demoscan twitter.com/AlexMGeisler/s…
— Healthy Democracy @(healthydem) 1 month ago

It was such an honor for Farres Alkhaiyer, our Community Solutions Program Fellow, to be the keynote speaker at the @OregonBusiness #OR100Best award dinner tonight. He represented Healthy Democracy and his home country of Syria well. We couldn't be more proud! @cspecairex
— Healthy Democracy @(healthydem) 1 month ago

In September, we hosted a visiting undergraduate student, Jillian Gilburne, a senior at @NorthwesternU. Jillian came to Oregon to interview civil servants across a handful of cities that we have interacted with in the past. Check out her blog! healthydemocracy.org/blog/2019/10/0…
— Healthy Democracy @(healthydem) 1 month ago

Our September enewsletter dropped in people's inboxes yesterday. Check it out! healthydemocracy.org/newsletter/ Not on our enews mailing list? Signup today! healthydemocracy.org/signup
— Healthy Democracy @(healthydem) 1 month ago

Civic Seminarian, @WendyRaeW, shares her reflections and thoughts from the Civic Saturday event held on Sat., Sept. 14 at C Bar C Ranch in Powell Butte. @CitizenUniv @orhumanities healthydemocracy.org/blog/2019/09/2…
— Healthy Democracy @(healthydem) 2 months ago

Recent Posts

Politicians & Public Participation — Tackling a Quintessential Design Problem

October 2, 2019

For a few weeks in September, we had the pleasure of hosting a visiting undergraduate student, Jillian Gilburne, who is a senior at Northwestern University studying political science, communication studies, and human-centered design. In an effort to better understand what motivates local officials to take on the challenge of achieving equitable, representative public engagement, Jillian
+ Read More

A Reflection on Month Two in the U.S.

September 27, 2019

Farres Alkhaiyer joined Healthy Democracy in August as a fellow with the 2019-2020 Community Solutions Program, a prestigious fellowship program run by the DC-based nonprofit IREX. This program brings together 80 of the brightest community leaders from around the world for four months of intensive leadership development in the United States. As he enters his second month
+ Read More

Learning. Livability. Leaning in.

September 27, 2019

On September 21 at Concordia University, Healthy Democracy hosted the 3rd, and final, component of the 2019 Community Oregon program, the Community Oregon Expo. Community Oregon is a program of our organization designed in response to the need to increase understanding and communication among diverse segments of Oregon’s electorate. The final phase of the program
+ Read More

CIR in Colorado