Ballot questions let voters decide on big issues. But with ad campaigns and special interests, reliable information can be hard to find. Professor John Gastil outlines an innovative solution—give a small group of citizens all of the information they need to make up their minds and share their findings with fellow voters.

For More on this Topic:

• Read Gastil's two-page brief on Citizens' Initiative Reviews.
• Check out his piece in The Washington Post

Further Reading:

• Building Public Trust and Improving Policy Through Deliberative Engagement Between Officials and Citizens, Daniel Patterson, University of Utah
• How Do Effective Associations Spur Citizen Engagement?, Hahrie Han, University of California, Santa Barbara