312. Claudia Chwalisz with Marcus Harrison Green and Brandi Kruse - The Future of Democracy

312. Claudia Chwalisz with Marcus Harrison Green and Brandi Kruse - The Future of Democracy

Author: Town Hall Seattle March 16, 2023 Duration: 1:09:44

What would the world look like if we shifted political and legislative power to everyday people — on the premise that everyone is worthy and capable of being involved in collective decision-making?

Claudia Chwalisz seeks to answer that question. She believes another democratic future is possible and strives to create a more just, joyful, and collaborative future where everyone has meaningful power to shape their societies.

By researching, implementing, and reporting on new forms of representative democratic institutions, such as permanent citizens' councils, where representation passes through sortition (selection by lottery), Claudia hopes to enable everyone to explore how institutions can adopt new forms of the democratic process.

Claudia Chwalisz is an author, activist, and entrepreneur. She is the Founder and CEO of DemocracyNext, a research and action institute working to shift political and legislative power to everyday people through empowered Citizens' Assemblies.

Marcus Harrison Green is the publisher of the South Seattle Emerald and a columnist with The Seattle Times.

Brandi Kruse is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and political commentator. After nearly a decade with the FOX affiliate in Seattle, she left to launch unDivided, an independent political show and podcast that gives a voice to Americans who feel silenced by the fringes of both parties. Brandi is a Minnesota native and graduate of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Nebraska. 


Recorded live from a historic venue in the Pacific Northwest, the Town Hall Seattle Civics Series podcast brings the stage to your headphones. Each episode captures a vital conversation from Town Hall Seattle's ongoing programming, where experts, activists, and thinkers grapple with the ideas shaping our collective life. You’ll hear historians reframe our past, legal scholars dissect constitutional questions, and community organizers explain the mechanics of emerging movements. This isn't just theoretical discussion; it's a direct engagement with the policies and cultural shifts that touch our neighborhoods and the wider world. Tuning in feels like finding a seat in a thoughtful, often provocative public forum. The series operates on a belief that an informed community is an empowered one, and this audio archive makes that process accessible to anyone, anywhere. By focusing on the substance of live civic dialogue, this podcast provides the context and depth often missing from daily headlines, fostering a deeper understanding of how society functions and changes.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Town Hall Seattle Civics Series
Podcast Episodes
377. Casey Michel with Katy Pearce: A Danger to Democracy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:13
If there is one thing on our collective minds these days, it is the issue of politics. But for all the interest it piques, much of it remains a mystery to the American public. Bestselling author and journalist Casey Mich…
376. Paul Pierson with Megan Ming Francis: Partisan Nation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:45
Professor of Political Science Paul Pierson, discusses his new book Partisan Nation. Co-authored with Eric Schickler, this book explores the roots of America's democratic crisis, highlighting how the mismatch between the…
375. Nate Silver with Clayton Aldern: On the Edge [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:18
What can professional risk-takers — poker players and hedge fund managers, crypto true believers and blue-chip art collectors— teach us much about navigating the uncertainty of the twenty-first century? In the bestsellin…
372. Sasha Abramsky: The Far-Right Takeover of Small-Town America [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:32
Sequim––a quiet, coastal community just a couple hours away from Seattle––may seem like an unlikely microcosm for the rise of far-right politics. And yet, political journalist Sasha Abramsky has closely followed small-to…