During a public forum in Rochester, Minnesota, on December 4, 2025, the Center for Democracy Innovation piloted a new accessibility tool to expand participation in civic conversations: live AI translation...
Public meetings are meant to be where communities and governments conduct business, learn about important issues, and make crucial decisions about courses of action. However, public servants and elected officials...
Neighborhoods are an essential aspect of local democracy, and for neighborhood groups to be truly democratic, there are at least five core principles they should embody: Representation: Do they reflect...
The Neighborhood Design Center’s Equitable Engagement Toolkit: Prioritizing Equity in the Community Design Process is a curated library of 51 resources designed to help practitioners put equity at the center...
Public meetings are where decisions are made, but they’re often seen as unwelcoming, overly formal, or ineffective spaces for two-way dialogue. If you’ve ever left a meeting thinking, there has...
What makes democracy work? Beyond voting and electoral processes, civic infrastructure encompasses a network of organizations that provide everyday people with opportunities to engage, lead, and act together. In a...
We’re proud to share that Decatur, Georgia is launching a groundbreaking Charter Review Commission, with support from the National Civic League. For the first time in the U.S., a city...
In democratic politics, every decision produces winners and losers. Whether through elections, referenda, or public consultations, someone’s preferred policy will lose. The critical question is: Will the losing side accept...
That’s a wrap! Over the past month, the Center for Democracy Innovation had the privilege of working on the ground in four incredible communities, co-hosting public engagement workshops and piloting...
