Redesigning Democracy

I have been invited to sit on a panel comprised of Grover Norquist (founder of Americans for Tax Reform and author of the No Taxes Pledge) and Lee Rainey (director of Pew Internet Research, author of five books, and former editor of US News & World report) at the Redesigning Democracy Summit this weekend. On this panel, we will be discussing the state of American democracy in the wake of the 2012 presidential election. The organizers have asked us to consider the following questions:

1) "Redesigning Democracy" implies that something is wrong with the status quo. Thinking about 2012, what is currently wrong with the state of our democracy? (focused on topics such as civic infrastructure, hyper-segregation based on political beliefs)

2) How important is it to reverse our current trajectory? (Focused on topics such as polarization, disengagement)

3) What are the most promising strategies to be employed in the redesign? (Internet/technologically based engagement, in person conversations, etc.)

4) What is working best in our democracy?

5) What is the greatest challenge facing our democracy?

6) How can we encourage people to participate in our political system and communities?

7) How can we use online tools to engage people of different viewpoints and backgrounds?

8) Who is melding face-to-face and online civic engagement to address community challenges?

 

If you have any thoughts about any of these questions, please feel free to comment on this blog, email me, or submit them directly to the organizers of the summit via their Qualtrics survey or by tweeting your response with the hashtag #RDS12.

I will be posting my responses on here as I assemble them. If you would like to watch the event, you can see it on WRAL, or on the Emerging Issues Institute's website, beginning tomorrow (12/9/12) at 7:00pm until 8:30, and then on Monday (12/10/12) from 8:00-9:30am.