Our Common Purpose at the Midpoint | Newsletter Special Edition
By Zachey Kliger | zachey.kliger@gmail.com | January 24, 2024
When the Academy’s Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship released Our Common Purpose in 2020, it introduced an ambitious call to action for democracy renovation: A healthy constitutional democracy depends on a virtuous cycle in which responsive political institutions foster a healthy civic culture of participation and responsibility, while a healthy civic culture keeps our political institutions responsive and inclusive.
Since the report’s release, the Academy has joined with partner organizations to launch interdisciplinary working groups, commission new research, and engage policymakers. Our collective efforts have inspired legislation, catalyzed public and private investment in civic life, and broadened support for the report’s recommendations and theory of change. As we begin this new year, we are sharing key achievements of this work to date. In next month’s newsletter, we will highlight the priorities that will guide our work moving forward.
Achievements
Inspiring New Legislation.
Federal
Enlarging the House of Representatives. REAL House Act, introduced by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR); Equal Voices Act, introduced by Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL).
Responsive Government. Trust in Public Service Act, introduced by Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), would improve trust in the federal government by establishing customer experience as a central measure of performance for agencies and the federal government.
Connected Communities. Building Civic Bridges Act, introduced by Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA), establishes an office and pilot grant program within the Corporation for National and Community Service to support civic bridge building.
Social Media as Civic Media. Platform Accountability and Transparency Act (PATA), introduced by Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), would require social media companies to share more data with the public and researchers.
National Service. The American Rescue Plan Act appropriated $1 billion to expanding national service. The American Climate Corps launched by the Biden-Harris administration to inspire young Americans to build a climate resilient economy.
Invest in Civic Education. Civics Secures Democracy Act, introduced by Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), requires the National Assessment of Education Progress in civics and history to be administered every two years to certain grade levels and establishes the Civics Secures Democracy Fund.
State
Ranked Choice Voting. In 2023, 24 cities and counties used RCV in their elections – two of them, Boulder, Colorado and Salt Lake City, Utah, used RCV for the first time to elect their mayors. Seven cities across five states voted to adopt or expand the use of RCV.
Empowered voters. In 2023, at least 23 states enacted 47 laws that make it easier to vote. Minnesota and Pennsylvania adopted automatic voter registration and authorized young voters to pre-register before they turn 18. Michigan, New Mexico, and Minnesota adopted automatic voter registration for formerly incarcerated individuals. New York will require high schools to distribute voter registration forms to students.
National Service. The Serve Act established a first-in-the nation public service year program for high school graduates in Maryland. Arizona, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina and Utah launched state-level Climate Corps programs. Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced two executive orders to promote service and volunteerism statewide.
America at 250. 42 states and territories launched commissions to develop programming to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
Creating a Trust for Civic Life.
The Academy convened a working group to develop a blueprint for the Trust which has been used to build support from the philanthropic community and civil society leaders. Now under fiscal sponsorship, the Trust has commitments from seven major philanthropies totaling $24 million and is actively recruiting a set of funders that reflect the diversity of America. The Trust will formally launch in February 2024 with a 5-year demonstration phase to experiment and test different approaches of working in partnership with local communities and supporting civic infrastructure building.
Forging Coalitions for Democracy Renovation.
Champion Network. The Academy established a network of over 75 champion organizations from across the nation that are committed to advancing one or more OCP recommendations.
Inspiring New Initiatives. Our Common Purpose has served as an inspiration and blueprint for new democracy reform programs, including: More Perfect: Partnership for American Democracy; the Bridging Movement Alignment Council (BMAC); Educating for American Democracy; the Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation at Middlebury College; and the Fourth Founding Collective at the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University.
Educating for Democracy. OCP has been used in college classrooms, with graduate students at public policy schools, with adult learners, in book clubs, and with groups like local chapters of the League of Women Voters.
Connecting Local Communities. The Our Common Purpose Communities Project aims to connect and support local communities working to revitalize democracy.
In The News
Dan Balz: These Ideas Could Repair American Democracy.
Washington Post chief correspondent and Academy member Dan Balz highlights ways ordinary citizens can address problems with the U.S. political system in an op-ed that includes recommendations from Our Common Purpose, including independent redistricting commissions, expanding the House, implementing ranked choice voting, and more.
New Insights from Public Opinion Research on National Service.
On December 14, the Academy and America’s Service Commissions hosted a virtual launch event with senior staff from state service commissions to reveal findings from new public opinion research on young Americans’ views about participating in a year of national service and highlight opportunities to integrate relevant messaging and tactics into their existing recruitment practices and processes.
Report on America's Fragile Democratic Convictions.
In a new Democracy Fund report, Joe Goldman, Lee Drutman, and Oscar Pocasangre reveal a strong association between affective polarization and the willingness to tolerate democratic norm erosion, among other findings.
Support for advancing the recommendations in Our Common Purpose is provided by the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, The Suzanne Nora Johnson and David G. Johnson Foundation, the Clary Family Charitable Fund, Alan and Lauren Dachs, Sara Lee Schupf and the Lubin Family Foundation, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, and David M. Rubenstein.
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