Election administrators from states with more contested elections said threats have increased in recent years. Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images.
If a jury is trusted to render a verdict on complex legal cases, shouldn’t Americans be able to make recommendations on public policy, including on thorny issues like the Ukraine War? Earlier this month, citizens at their local library proved the people can.
In Silver Spring, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-8th) met with constituents for a public consultation to discuss whether the U.S. should continue to provide military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and if it should encourage Ukraine to enter peace negotiations with Russia.
This is the third public consultation with Congressman Raskin’s participation, hosted by Voice of the People, a nonpartisan nonprofit. The consultation process, developed by the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation, provides an alternative to hostile town halls, improving representation and trust, promoting civil dialogue and identifying common ground.
It includes a survey of a representative sample of 604 residents in Maryland’s 8th District. The survey takes citizens through a policymaking simulation that puts them in the shoes of policymakers. Respondents are briefed, presented policy proposals, and then evaluate pro and con arguments, before registering their views. The material is reviewed by experts on each side of the debate to ensure accuracy and balance.
The survey found bipartisan agreement on providing military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine and encouraging peace negotiations.
Continued U.S. military aid to Ukraine, including equipment, training and intelligence, was favored by a bipartisan majority of 64%. A majority of Republicans were in favor (58%), as were Democrats (68%).
Continued U.S. humanitarian aid to Ukraine for food, shelter, health care and infrastructure, was even more popular with 77% in favor. Seven in 10 Republicans (69%) and eight in 10 Democrats (81%) were in favor.
Respondents were also asked whether, “the U.S. should or should not encourage Ukraine to enter into negotiations with Russia, whether or not Russia first commits to withdraw from all of Ukraine.” A majority of 60% said the U.S. should encourage negotiations, including 55% of Democrats and 82% of Republicans.
One survey-taker said: “I like that this survey is about something that will definitely impact the world, and that I may in some small way help.” Anyone can take this policymaking simulation and send their opinions to their representatives.
Those present at the forum were part of the survey’s representative sample. Congressman Raskin and his constituents discussed their beliefs on the issue. They were surprised at the degree of bipartisan common ground among their community.
“I was impressed by how commanding the majorities were for both military and humanitarian assistance to people in Ukraine,” Raskin said. “It seemed like when people had all the facts and thought it through, they were strongly supportive. I had been operating on that assumption, but I wasn’t really sure. And now I really feel like I am where the bulk of my constituents are.”
At the forum, constituent Mona Galpin explained: “For the most part we are sending old planes, old tanks, old ammunition. Things that are out of date anyway. If Ukraine can have it and use it before it expires, it gives us manufacturing jobs here to build new planes and technology. I also think that humanitarian aid is very important. These Ukrainians didn’t ask for this. Russia just came in shooting. I try to visualize if it were happening here. What if Mexico decided to take Texas?”
But in the lively back-and-forth, local resident April Stafford couldn’t shake her concern about the fiscal implications for American families: “We’re seeing we have lost revenue at home, and we are throwing it to other countries. People think of their families first.”
Congressman Raskin explained that “when you are a member of Congress, you hear from a lot of people on a whole range of issues. So you are hearing from the most galvanized, mobilized, activated constituencies, but you don’t really have a clear sense of whether that is a representative cross-section of where people are when they think it through. I believe in the wisdom of big crowds of people.”
Elected officials on both sides of the aisle are increasingly engaging in innovative ways to listen to constituents. When they do, there is remarkable agreement. Large majorities of Americans agree on more than 200 policy positions on many meaningful issues.
The rancor of the 2024 election exacerbates our current crisis of democracy, but there remain reasons for hope. Public consultations are an alternative to the political posturing that descends into shouting matches, rather than problem-solving. Like in juries, citizens are able to consider the common good and competing values. Instead of slogans and sound bites, public consultations help our leaders focus on what policies citizens actually want and promote a necessary discussion between the people and their government.
The post Empowering citizens to tackle policy, like aid to Ukraine, strengthens democracy appeared first on Maryland Matters.