When Martians Land, Pigs Fly, and Americans Reach Consensus: Civic Genius & Citizen Panel Forums

The Purple Principle

We’ve all seen and heard the sad decline of civil discussions at congressional town hall forums over the past decade or two. The anger, the shouting, the gotcha questions. Not to mention generous amounts of obfuscation from congressional representatives. The result being that even before COVID, many members of Congress and other elected officials began to abandon town halls all together.

But the non-profit, non-partisan group Civic Genius sensed opportunity where others just heard shouting. One of several deliberative democracy efforts, Civic Genius, in partnership with the survey group Voice of the People, holds surprisingly civil and productive “Citizen Panel” forums, where participants deliberate and present bipartisan recommendations to their district’s Congressional Representative. In the process, the group aims to revive the Congressional town hall tradition and give civil society a shot in the arm.

This episode features interviews with Civic Genius’s Executive Director, Jillian Youngblood, who leads the Citizen Panel effort, as well as Dr. Steve Kull of Voice of the People, the survey group facilitating selection and orientation of citizens on topics as tricky and timely as police reform and immigration, among others.

Tune into Episode Two (Season Two) of the Purple Principle, “When Martians Land, Pigs Fly, and Americans Reach Consensus,” for a refreshing earful of civility. And please visit our website for info on past and future episodes, as well as access to our newsletter, The Purple Principle in Print.

For this episode's show notes, transcript, and more, visit our website.

Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney.