Learning, deliberating, developing a sense of voice and working for common causes across differences can inspire apathetic and cynical people to engage, to become informed and socially connected, to enthusiastically participate in politics, and to have a sense of meaningful input in the governance of issues that are consequential to them.

Scaling these deliberative processes can catalyze the renewal many democracies desperately need. Institutionalizing sortition-based bodies and instilling the practice of deliberation will not only restore the legitimacy of our system, but by transforming disengaged people into active participants capable of collective problem-solving, can cure the deep polarization, populism and pessimism that currently plagues our societies. 

With each passing weekend, they became more informed about the issues, more familiar with each other and more trusting of the process.

“At the National Assembly, only a few members understand a topic deeply. But 184 of us were engaged in learning and challenged each other on the question we were asked.” He remained skeptical of the government but believed in the full legitimacy, representativeness and competence of citizens to propose policy reform.

contrary to the narrative that people are politically uninterested and apathetic, citizens’ assemblies demonstrate that when asked to provide meaningful input, people care deeply and want to participate in political life. When governments trust citizens’ abilities to make good decisions, citizens become more politically engaged, creating a virtuous cycle of engagement.

During the CCFV closing ceremony, Berriau remarked that “democracy should not be left to experts. All citizens, if given the means, information and time, can have a word.” Citizens’ assemblies around the world have encouraged participants to become ambassadors in their own communities and beyond. Their worlds expand and their zones of influence multiply, as does their sense of legitimacy and their place in their democratic ecosystem.