By the People, for the People
A Proposal to Reimagine U.S. Democracy
Guiding Principles
In recent decades, the foundational principles and values of our U.S. democracy have faced unprecedented challenges, eroding Americans’ trust and belief in democratic institutions.
America’s strength comes from its people and the democratic values that we hold. However, our democracy is not delivering the quality of life and effective representation Americans expect and deserve. Because of this, it has been vulnerable to failure for quite some time.
To have a stronger and more responsive system of government, it is up to us to come together and determine what that is. As Americans, it is our right to step forward to repair and renew our system. The ‘By the People, for the People’ initiative creates the nonpartisan structure to accomplish this, and is founded on the following principles:
The American People are Disillusioned and Want Change
The great experiment of American democracy is not meeting its promise, leaving a broad swath of our nation feeling disconnected from and disillusioned by government. However, Americans are not apathetic, we care deeply about our families and communities, and we want change that leads to better outcomes from our government.
We Value the Common Ground We Share
America is a vast and highly diverse nation, by many measures - it is the source of our creativity and resilience. We believe the viable path toward a strong democracy is built on the common ground we share and mutual respect.
Grassroots Focused
We the American people must determine the path forward, not political parties or wealthy special interests. Americans must be at the heart of any movement for a more responsive democratic system, and maintain the ability to speak, be heard, and for our will to prevail.
Broad and Representative Participation
Democracy is grounded in the idea of full and fair representation. Those involved in the BPP – from state coalitions to People’s Assembly delegates – must be representative of the population of their states.
Collaborative Approach
The BPP movement will be purposely and deeply collaborative, built on partnerships with a broad range of civil society organizations, coalitions and individuals who commit to working together to effect meaningful and lasting change.
Structured Opportunity
We believe that a structured and organized opportunity separate from the election cycle and unaffiliated with political parties is needed to effectively and thoughtfully explore ways to reimagine, rebuild and reform our democratic institutions. The BPP initiative creates the civic framework to accomplish this in a realistic timeline to be successful.
Action-Oriented Reforms
Proposed democratic reforms must be actionable, and address clearly defined problems or offer a material/tangible improvement, not simply reforms for reforms’ sake. Proposed solutions will focus on producing better and more representative outcomes from our democratic institutions for all Americans.
Transparency and Accountability
Democratic reforms can only work when people see the process and can track outcomes. Transparency and accountability help build public trust and credibility, and will be at the heart of all BPP activities.
