Name: Undetermined States of America: Citizen Assemblies and Deliberative Democracy
Start: 2025-07-19T19:00:00
End: 2025-07-20T00:00:00
Location: Francis Kite Club

We're running Windows 1776 for our government—it's time for an upgrade. Nearly 250 years after the founding, Americans across the spectrum agree: the system is broken. So where do we go to reimagine what democracy could be?[Undetermined] States of America is a podcast, blog and movement to collectively envision the next evolution of American government—just like the Founders did, but for today's world.&nbsp;For too long, we've equated democracy with elections. But elections are plagued by intractable problems: special interest capture, endless fundraising, outdated structures built for 1776 and many more. Fortunately, we don’t need to start from scratch.Ancient Greece practiced a different form of democracy: sortition—randomly selecting everyday citizens (like jury duty) to deliberate and make decisions, informed by experts. This idea is making a comeback in the form of a burgeoning movement to&nbsp;bring about a full-fledged revival in American&nbsp;democracy.Join us on July 19th at Francis Kite Club for a live conversation with leading voices in the movement to upgrade democracy through citizen assemblies, deliberation, and sortition. We'll also explore the feasibility of a second constitutional convention—and what it might look like to build a government truly run by and for the people.<h3 style="text-align: start">Featuring:</h3><ul><li>Phil Lindsay – Director of the Democracy Innovation Hub at the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://hac.bard.edu/programs/democracy-innovation-hub/">Hannah Arendt Center</a>&nbsp;</li><li>Nick Coccoma – Executive Director and Founder of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://assembleamerica.org/">Assemble America</a></li><li>Colin Pugh&nbsp;– Founder and Host of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.undetermined.us/">[Undetermined] States of America</a></li></ul>