The last several years have seen the growing and successful use of citizen-initiated ballot initiatives to win major election reforms. Some of the most successful, well-funded, and engaging campaigns have had unlikely initiators: small groups of everyday Americans fed up with waiting for someone else to take on an issue and deciding to do it themselves.

On Thursday, March 4th, the Ash Center hosted a discussion titled, "Citizen Ballot Initiatives: A New Tool for Election Reform" featuring organizers of successful citizen-driven campaigns from different parts of the country: 

• Chris Melody Fields-Figueredo, Executive Director, Ballot Initiative Strategy Center
• Katie Fahey, Executive Director, The People, Michigan
• Desmond Meade, Executive Director, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition
• Cara McCormick, Co-Founder, Committee for Ranked Choice Voting in Maine
• Dina Butcher, Co-Founder, Badass Grandmas of North Dakota
• Carolyn Lukensmeyer (Moderator), Board Member, National Institute of Civil Discourse

About the Ash Center 

The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. 

Visit the Ash Center online, follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook. For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter.

The mission of the Roy and Lila Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation is to develop ideas and foster practices for equal and inclusive, multi-racial and multi-ethnic democracy and self-government.

Visit the Ash Center online, follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook. For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter.

Music is Wholesome by Kevin McLeod.