Q & A

What is the BPP initiative about?

The By the People, For the People (BPP) is a new nationwide, non-partisan initiative that brings the American people together to reimagine democracy, developing ways to reform and strengthen it.

The five-year initiative will be led by a broad spectrum of Americans from all walks of life - not by career politicians or political parties. It involves creating a national grassroots movement to build support for democracy and invite Americans to propose new ideas to reform and strengthen it.

It’s an initiative rooted in the belief that the only viable path forward to rebuilding our democratic institutions is one based on common ground, not partisan politics, and that it must be led by the American people themselves, not parties or political actors.

How would the initiative work?

There are two main phases of this five-year initiative.

The first will be conducting civics public education campaigns state-by-state over several years, led by state coalitions of nonpartisan civic groups and individuals. These campaigns will focus on building awareness about the importance of democracy and its role in critical government functions. These state coalitions together will form a civic network that serves as the foundation of phase two of the initiative.

The second phase will be convening a national ‘People’s Assembly’ in Washington D.C. Delegates will be from all backgrounds and every state, elected by the network of state coalitions.

The People’s Assembly will be tasked with creating a Democracy Roadmap of ideas and reforms for reimagining and strengthening our democratic institutions. These ideas will then be shared broadly online and in public meetings across the country for discussion and to work toward implementation.

Why is the initiative needed?

Our democracy is in peril and has been for quite some time. It’s not meeting its promise for the American people, and leaving many feeling disconnected, disillusioned and even angry.

We have leaders who are undermining democratic values, fueling extreme polarization and toxic political discourse. Currently, the U.S. also has very low engagement with our democratic institutions and some of the lowest voter turnout of established democracies around the world.

Many Americans across the political spectrum don’t believe that democracy is working for them or delivering the quality of life and representation that they expect and deserve. But we believe change can come about when Americans can check our political identities at the door, find common ground and focus on rebuilding our democratic values and institutions together.

Research shows that when Americans are brought together in the same room they can find common ground through thoughtful deliberation.

What evidence is there that belief in American democracy is on the decline?

A 2024 Democracy Fund study found that only small percentages of Americans consistently hold pro-democracy views on key tenets of democracy. A national Gallup Poll in January 2025 reported that a record-low of American - just 28% - are satisfied with the way democracy is working. Additionally, voter and civic participation is consistently low in the U.S. These are just a few of many data reports that show Americans are increasingly disillusioned and disconnected from their democracy.

Who is supporting this initiative?

Dozens of leading nonpartisan organizations, community and civil society leaders have already come together to get behind, the ‘By the People, For the People’ initiative with more joining us every day. These include organizations like the National Civic League, National Institute for Civil Discourse, National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation, and the Listen First Project.

How can people get involved?

Like its title, the ‘By the People, For the People’ initiative invites and encourages anyone and everyone to the table to work together to restore and strengthen our democracy. We have a website - bppi.org - where people can learn more and sign up for updates. We’ll be setting up social media soon so people can follow our progress, so stay tuned. But most importantly, we ask people to start spreading the word about this initiative and encourage others to learn more about it and why it’s needed. Click here for more ways to get involved in BPP.