America in One Room
September 19 – 22, 2019
Dallas, Texas
America in One Room (A1R) is a historic gathering of 500 American voters who will participate in a nonpartisan discussion about the major issues of the 2020 presidential election. The participants—our citizen-delegates—are carefully selected to form an accurate, representative sample of the entire American electorate in all its political, cultural, and demographic diversity.
Over the course of the event, the delegates will learn about the issues; deliberate amongst themselves in a thoughtful, civil, and substantive fashion; and have town-hall discussions directly with presidential candidates. Their views on the issues and the relative merits of the candidates will be documented and shared with the public, candidates, and policymakers, giving a clearer, more balanced, and more informed idea of the political landscape heading into the election.
A1R is organized as a Deliberative Poll®, under the supervision of the Center for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford University. The participants are selected using stratified random sampling, with survey work conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago. A1R will be managed and produced in collaboration with By the People Productions and is a Helena Project. For press inquiries, please contact A1R@sunshinesachs.com.
Press
Democracy in America is failing — here’s how we can still make it work Salon 9/2019 PDF
Democracy is supposed to reflect the will of the people. That’s not happening now — but there are ways to fix it. Opinion: What if There’s a Better Way to Handle Our Democratic Debate? The New York Times 8/2019 PDF
Americans can have serious and respectful conversations across our deep divides. John Dickerson discusses upcoming America in One Room Deliberative Poll Slate’s Political Gabfest 7/2019 MP3
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The Nsanje District in Malawi is home to two regions (Traditional Authorities) that face severe challenges from recurrent flooding: TA Nyachikadza and TA Namera. 
For the first time, over 200 California public high school seniors from the Bay Area participated in a Deliberative Poll on the issues of voting rights and the value of being informed about politics and public policy. Over the course of one school day, students deliberated with one another on the Stanford University campus and had the opportunity to hear from leading experts in the field.