Ideas We Should Steal: Democracy NYC
Ideas We Should Steal: Democracy NYC
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has a x-signal program for increasing civic engagement across the city. We demand the same in Philly
Jun. 26, 2018
Nosotros were and then hopeful on May 14th, the twenty-four hour period before this twelvemonth's primary ballot. We felt the surge in political outrage, the energy behind efforts to get more people running for role, the call to arms—seemingly—for changing the organization past changing who runs it, voting out the erstwhile and in with the new.
And then, as has become usual, there was the postal service-election letdown. Only 17 percent of usa really cared enough nearly any of those things to show up and cast a ballot. It is, as watchdog grouping Committee of Seventy's David Thornburgh puts information technology, a flake like Charlie Brown and his football. "Nosotros call back this time, we're actually going to do information technology, nosotros're going to kick the ball," Thornburgh says. "And then Lucy pulls it away again at the terminal second."
Cue the usual handwringing, followed by the usual repeat chamber of scolding from media outlets (including this one ), followed past some other election cycle and another pulled football. This is getting tiresome.
Information technology is of some pocket-sized comfort, mayhap, to know that Philly is not lone in its voting malaise. In New York Urban center last Nov, just under 22 percent of voters came out to cast a ballot in an election that gave Mayor Bill de Blasio his 2nd term—a slight increase from 2013's numbers, simply a paltry showing nonetheless. Concerned election watchers in New York had the same cycle of promise and thwarting, the same heartsinking deja vu .
But unlike in Philly, New York City is doing something virtually it.
In his Land of the City speech in January, Mayor de Blasio unveiled DemocracyNYC , a 10 point programme to increase voting and civic appointment in America's biggest city. The initiatives range from ballot reforms to Demography accuracy to authorities transparency; taken all together they could create a
more informed, more than willing electorate with an easier path to voting and a clearer sense that their vote matters. In other words, it could plough a failing democracy into one that actually works again.
"Whether nosotros like it or not, democracy is something each generation must earn," de Blasio said. "In my entire lifetime I take never felt our democracy as in peril equally I exercise today. I've never seen such rampant inequality equally I run into today. Merely I take to tell you, I even so got enough of promise. And I think you should, besides. Because what we've learned is the people tin need alter and the people can ensure that that change really happens."
DemocracyNYC, when fully set up, will exist a small office, more a coordinating centre led past a Chief Commonwealth Officeholder that works with dissimilar metropolis departments and nonprofits to span the civic date spectrum. On voting, the goal is to register one.5 one thousand thousand people in the side by side iv years, with a particular emphasis on young people. To that end, de Blasio last month hosted 3,000 public and charter schools at an event at which the city registered thousands of 18 and soonhoped-for eighteen year olds. De Blasio has likewise established a Charter Revision Commission to suggest changes that could make voting easier, peculiarly when information technology comes to access and language. And the city has increased lobbying efforts in Albany to change state rules to allow for early voting, lowered voting historic period and aforementioned day registration, amid other reforms.
But the piece of work also includes efforts to create a more engaged citizenry exterior of the ballot box. Already, DemocracyNYC has overseen the launch of a publicly searchable database to help residents keep track of which lobbyists are coming together with city officials—a way to have a more than educated 
electorate. The city too plans to launch a web portal that is a one-stop shop for information about customs groups, running for role, and joining school advisory councils. It volition work with schools to ensure civics are taught in every New York Metropolis public schoolhouse. And it is launching a broad-spanning effort to get all New Yorkers filling out the 2022 federal demography, to ensure they are counted.
None of the points in the 10-point program directly accost turnout—really getting people to cast a vote. But enquiry effectually voting shows over and over that engaged citizens, with the correct didactics and the right tools, are those who vote. One time they vote, they do it once more and again. "We're having conversations with people in the city nearly what the role of voting is, and what democracy means, and what the connectedness is between the two," says Nisha Agarwal, who oversees DemocracyNYC for Deputy Mayor Phil Thompson. "Information technology'due south helpful in this moment to become people that much more engaged, merely it's something we should always have been thinking nigh."
It is a refreshing way to wield politics, past trying to get more people involved in politics. It seems the exact contrary of what nosotros have in Philly, where elected officials are happy to accept fewer people vote since that means fewer people to potentially vote them out of part.
That this comes from City Hall—under the auspices of an elected mayor—tin can get in seem political; and possibly it is, though de Blasio has already started the 2nd term of his two term Mayoralty. Merely it is a refreshing fashion to wield politics, past trying to get more people involved in politics. It seems, in fact, the exact opposite of what nosotros have in Philly, where elected officials are happy to accept fewer people vote since that means fewer people to potentially vote them out of part. That small-minded thinking, though, leads to a paucity of civic appointment, at the polls and outside of it, that has far-ranging consequences; just await at our last presidential ballot, if you lot need a stark example.
To be clear, we already accept an organization whose task it is to make our elections work—the elected City Commissioners. They run our elections, count our votes, register voters, release data most polling places, handle irregularities at the polls, punt on buying new machines and in the case of one, only occasionally show upward to work . But they don't run voting drives; they don't actively piece of work to get voters to the polls. Perhaps that's the inevitable result of having elected people run elections; with ane Republican and two Democrats in the role, they could hands be accused of swaying a race by increasing turnout in a blue- or red-leaning district. "Information technology'south a consequence of the fact that folks in those offices are finely tuned to the politics in those offices," Thornburgh notes.
Nonetheless, the alternative can't be to do nothing. Equally de Blasio said, "We can't continue doing things the same backward way and somehow expect a better result." As in the case of New York, change requires a shift in how our highest elected officials think about voting, and what it means to be a democracy today, and how their constituents connect to the borough institutions that govern our society. Could a DemocracyPHL encourage libraries and public health centers to also connect residents to their neighborhood associations? Could information technology push every city department to register residents to vote as part of the services offered? Could a Mayoral-led schoolhouse lath insist on making civics education part of every Philly public school curriculum?
None of the points in the 10-betoken plan directly address turnout—actually getting people to cast a vote. But research around voting shows over and over that engaged citizens, with the right education and the right tools, are those who vote. Once they vote, they exercise information technology once again and again.
And, could Mayor Kenney rouse u.s.a. all to activeness, the way de Blasio is engaging his residents? DemocracyNYC's web site opens with a statement and a question: "We want to make NYC the fairest big city in America. And to exercise that nosotros need to strengthen our Democracy. Will you bring together the fight?" In that location follows a checklist of actions New Yorkers can promise to accept, from getting the give-and-take out on the Census to holding a voter registration event. Would Philadelphians join a like motility if their Mayor asked? I'd like to retrieve so.
Equally de Blasio said after he laid out his plans for DemocracyNYC, "There's a very powerful phrase in the recovery move that tin be said about democracy as well: 'It works if you work it.'"
Source: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/ideas-we-should-steal-democracy-nyc/
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