Ned Crosby invented the Citizens Jury process while getting a PhD in political science from the University of Minnesota (1973). In 1974 he set up the Jefferson Center to explore new democratic processes, primarily the Citizens Jury. The Center's last project in the U.S. was in 2002 for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on global climate change. The most recent Citizens Jury conducted by the Center was in May 2005 in Perth, Australia.

Pat Benn is a teacher and democratic practitioner. She spent 24 years in the Robbinsdale School District in Minnesota teaching French and German, serving as department chair for six years. Benn's work in democracy started with the Robbinsdale Federation of Teachers, serving as president of the union and pioneering collaborative efforts in negotiations and increased teacher involvement with the school administration on educational policies. In 1991 she played a leadership role in the creation of Shared Decisions Minnesota, a novel effort that worked in over 20 school districts around the state to get all stakeholders to work together on school governance issues.

Currently Crosby and Benn are working with others to get the Citizens Initiative Review adopted into law in Washington and Oregon.

Comments by Mr. Crosby and Ms. Benn Before the Pepperdine Conference

The Citizens Initiative Review (CIR) is based on the same principles as the citizen's jury and hopes to address many of the concerns which are at the heart of the deliberative democracy movement. Crosby and Benn noted that one of the biggest problems which needs to be addressed is the disconnect that exists between people and government. Their goal is to match the strengths of a deliberative method with the needs of the system. To do this requires institutionalization of the deliberative method. They feel this is the only way for a deliberative method to have a lasting effect.

It is their belief that the CIR accomplishes this for it is a way to improve the initiative and referendum process at the state level. At the core of CIR is a citizen's jury, which in the CIR process is referred to as the citizens' panel. The other main components of CIR are voter pamphlets and the details of the structure of CIR.

The citizens' panel consists of 24 voters randomly selected to represent a microcosm of the citizens in the relevant community. Crosby and Benn believe that the size of this group is crucial and that the small size allows for more in-depth deliberation. The panelists attend hearings for five days during which they consider a single ballot initiative. The hearings are moderated by trained staff members who insure that the strict guidelines of the process are followed. The objective is fair and open hearings.

During the hearings the panel members are able to question witnesses who represent the pro and con sides of the ballot initiative. In addition to these witnesses, the citizens' panel also hears from subject matter experts. Following the hearings panel members are able to deliberate on what they have heard. The CIR process allows for witnesses to be called back and answer questions the jury may develop.

The goal of the CIR is to achieve, by the end of the week, final statements from the panel regarding the ballot initiative. These statements then appear in the voter pamphlet in the form of a one page summary. The summary tells how many panelists favored the initiative and how many opposed it. Additionally each side will offer the reasons for their position. Besides the one page in the voter pamphlet additional information on the findings of the panel can be accessed online.

Crosby and Benn have proposed the CIR in Washington and Oregon because these are two states where the initiative process is a significant aspect of any election. Also, in these states the voter's pamphlet is an effective way to reach all voters. In Washington approximately 95% of voters reported that they typically will look at the voter pamphlet before deciding how to vote on a statewide initiative. In general voters have seen a need for improvements to the pamphlets. They want more content that is easier to understand than the currently provided official statements, and more trustworthy than the existing statements by proponents and opponents. CIR is targeted to addressing these concerns.

Crosby and Benn hope that CIR can helping voters make better choices by better understanding each initiative and clarifying the relevant facts. They also hope that the CIR can help yield better policy outcomes. There may also be benefits to state legislatures; CIR may prove a practical way to help voters regain confidence in the legislative process and result in more responsible budgeting by legislators.

Crosby and Benn's initial attempt at getting the CIR approved in Washington through the state legislature was unsuccessful. It is their strong belief that CIR can provide a vital function but to do so, it must be institutionalized in some way. And if the legislature is not willing to adopt the process into law then they will employ the very initiative process they hope CIR can improve.