How a Bipartisan Caucus Aimed to Change U.S. House Rules

In western New York, local bike advocacy groups have found power in numbers, banding together to gradually convince their governments to expand cycling access and communities to change their attitudes toward cyclists. By organizing mass cycling rides, which were at times disruptive by design, and other advocacy efforts, GOBike Buffalo and connected groups have convinced government and foundations alike to launch a major bike network.

In an effort to fix the climate movement’s voter turnout problem, the Environmental Voter Project’s 6,000 volunteers use behavioral and data science in their outreach campaigns to encourage environmentalists to become consistent voters so the issues they care about are prioritized by politicians.

Citizens’ assemblies, which allow for mass participation in political debates and decision-making with a lottery system to select speakers, are increasingly being used to overcome issues such as corruption and the unwillingness by incumbent politicians to address controversial issues. Many countries now use citizens’ assemblies, including Ireland who used one in 2017 to push forward a debate and decision on its abortion ban after decades of political deadlock. Citizens’ assemblies do face challenges, including being dismantled by ruling politicians who feel they challenge incumbent power.

A group called Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, now 36,000 strong, is bringing together people from different political and ideological backgrounds over a common interest in the preservation and conservation of public lands and waters. Bucking stereotypes, the group spans the political spectrum, with 33% Independent, 23% Republican, 20% Democrat and 16% unaffiliated in a recent survey. The BHA's recent promotion of the Land and Water Conservation Fund shows that bipartisanship is possible.

In Michigan, a group of people decided they were done with gerrymandering: a political process in which district maps are redrawn to favor one party over another. They formed a group called “Voters Not Politicians,” and did what no one thought they would be able to do. “The crowdsourced campaign held 33 town-hall meetings in 33 days, wrote a ballot proposal to give redistricting powers to a citizens’ commission” and “collected 425,000 petition signatures in four months to secure a spot on Michigan’s ballot—a rare feat, usually accomplished only by hiring paid signature gatherers.”

Governments in the United Kingdom, the United States, and elsewhere use crowdfunded donations to restore historic areas and fund new developments. The approach can build democratic participation and community cohesion while plugging budgetary holes from falling tax revenue.

A grassroots campaign ended gerrymandering in Michigan by passing an initiative requiring districts be drawn by citizen-commissions rather than politicians. The all-volunteer campaign went door-to-door collecting enough signatures to get the initiative on the ballot and used creative voter-engagement techniques to sustain the support. Once the ballot initiative passed, 9,300 people applied for the first commission. A third-party firm ultimately selected four Democrats, four Republicans, and five non-partisan people as commissioners, who worked together very well to redraw districts.

A complex combination of successful fundraising campaigns, engaging with and energizing Black voters, and mobilizing the state’s other ethnic and racial groups helped Democrats flip Georgia blue in 2020. Large financial investments allowed organizers to implement effective voter education and registration campaigns and distribute the resources to areas where the need to mobilize voters was greatest. Organizers tapped into Black culture through food, music, and the Black church to energize voters. They also conducted multiracial, multi-ethnic, and multilingual outreach to engage other marginalized groups.

Georgia College Political Society, a non-partisan debate and discussion organization, hosts events where students from across the political spectrum discuss political issues. Discussion topics have included criminal justice, foreign policy, and the 2020 election. The group currently meets on Zoom and posts livestreams of their debates on Facebook. The environment has been friendly, with some agreement on the structural problems, but different ideas about how to solve them. So far, there have been 10 panels and the College’s political science faculty have provided crash courses on the topics being discussed.

Braver Angels works to decrease political polarization by pairing up Republicans and Democrats for one-on-one conversations about each other’s political views and experiences. The goal of the conversations is to encourage understanding through talking and listening, not to change anyone’s views. Participants often find they share similar goals but just have different perspectives on how to achieve them. The group has about 15,000 members representing every state. Membership surged after the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capital, after which around 4,500 Braver Angels gathered virtually to try and heal.