In July 2008, 49 advocates, scholars, and thinkers met in Washington, D.C. and came to agreement on the outlines of a broad agenda for democracy reform. In the weeks that followed, the participants broke into workgroups and developed the recommendations outlined in this document. Our ideas rest on a set of shared convictions about what democracy ought to mean. We envision an America that encourages the maximum levels of voter turnout, practices people-centered governance, and actively seeks and genuinely values everyone’s participation. To this end, we must build an infrastructure of participation
and governance that welcomes everyone, while also taking steps to ensure that the voices of the powerful are not unduly elevated.
We take up this mission not simply out of principle, but because we are convinced that a more inclusive political process will generate better policies, develop the public knowledge and will to carry them out, and lead not only to a more just society, but to a virtuous cycle of economic, social, and political progress.
