Aledo is a small, residential suburb that sits right outside of Fort Worth. This dynamic city known for its historical past has earned recently award-winning accomplishments in water, sewer, and highway improvements. As a suburban city, Aledo is home to a family-friendly community, an exceptional school district, and annual community events.

Work to date on Democracy and Civic Engagement:

In light of its growing population, Aledo has centered its democratic efforts on engaging with the city’s residents. Most recently, Aledo has since worked on distributing significant communication pieces to engage with its community. Moreover, the City has made an effort to ensure that residents’ voices are being heard during city council meetings by hosting educational and engaging presentations.

“[The City of Aledo] is laser-focused in how we communicate and engage with our residents to provide accurate and better information, but also to get them more engaged in the process.” Noah Simon, City Manager, City of Aledo

Boston is the state capital of and the most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Ranked as the 24th most populous city in the US, Boston is known for its rich diversity, several esteemed higher education institutions, and historical landmarks.

Work to date on Democracy and Civic Engagement:

Under the new leadership of mayor Michelle Wu, the city of Boston has honed its efforts for democracy and civic engagement through a myriad of solutions. Most recently, Boston created a participatory budget that will be implemented during Spring 2023.

In regards to elections, the city has bolstered its constituent services, including its online live-updated, precinct-by-precinct reporting for voters on their site that enables citizens to engage with their elections and access results more easily. Ultimately, Boston’s ongoing efforts are centered on more equitable voting within the City.

Boston’s goal in participating in this cohort is to focus on “What can we be doing better to communicate civic engagement options, what their options are, and how engaging can affect a process, and then letting them choose.” Maya Getter, Policy Advisor, City of Boston Mayor’s Office

On Maryland’s eastern shore, 1.5 hours from both D.C. and Baltimore, Cambridge is a much more rural community than its surrounding counterparts. Cambridge is home to a number of historic landmarks and museums, including the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center—an homage to the town she grew up in.

Work to date on Democracy and Civic Engagement:

A prime solution that Cambridge is about to form is an ‘ad-hoc citizen committee’ (a resident committee) with the purpose to evaluate how the city manages its municipal elections.

In acknowledgment of how Cambridge runs its elections, such a process has proven to be very time-consuming and distracts from the city staff’s regular duties. To address this issue, the city is now working to turn its municipal elections over to county-board elections. In addition to this change, Cambridge aims to redraw its 5 wards in accordance with the 2020 census results.

“[The City of Cambridge] hopes to work on racial reconciliation, atonement, healing, robust conversations that we need to have around past wrongs, and figuring out how to do that as a committee.” Tom Carroll, City Manager, City of Cambridge

Located in Northern Fort Collins is home to Colorado State University and an outstanding public school system. Nestled at the base of the Rocky Mountains, Fort Collins offers the convenience of a small town with all the amenities of a larger city.

Work to date on Democracy and Civic Engagement:

Recently, a referendum was received regarding the City’s new Land Development Code and as a result, it will not go into effect and outreach efforts are underway to revise it. In addition, to promote transparency, almost all emails sent to City Council are visible in an online archive.

The city of Green Bay is the flagship city and economic hub of Northeastern Wisconsin. As the oldest community in Wisconsin, Green Bay continues to be a major shipping center and an employment magnet for various industries.

Work to date on Democracy and Civic Engagement:

Over the past three years, Green Bay has faced several challenges to its electoral process. From encountering voter intimidation to the spread of election misinformation, the City is hopeful that its participation in the Democracy Cohort will strengthen its election reforms and ensure that truth will prevail.

In acknowledging that their third sector merely addresses civic engagement, the City would like to invest more time and resources in its citizens in this regard. With the launch of its Citizens Academy, this program is notably the first time in over a decade to address civic engagement.

“[Green Bay] is actively looking for creative solutions not only to build up their robust activity plan for civic engagement—but [to help] nonprofits, 3rd sector, academic institutions—know they are legally able to talk about nonpartisan engagement and that [it] can make a huge difference in our city.” Amaad Rivera-Wagner, Chief of Staff, Mayor’s Office

Lancaster is one of the oldest inland cities in the U.S., consisting of its rich history and unique architecture. Per capita, Lancaster is ranked as one of the top cities to resettle refugees and immigrants in the U.S. and is designated as a certified Welcoming City. Located in South Central Pennsylvania, this small-town and bustling city is home to a diverse population and distinct urban culture.

Work to date on Democracy and Civic Engagement:

Since Danene Sorace was first elected in 2018 to serve as Lancaster’s mayor—making her the second woman in the city’s history to hold this position—the city has enacted robust changes to bolster civic engagement. In 2018, Mayor Sorace created a new office: the Department of Neighborhood Engagement.

With the purpose to engage with the community and new settlers in the city, this department has revolutionized the government’s structural dynamic. More specifically, this new department has had the special privilege to focus on civic engagement and technology. Through the creation of this department, Lancaster has been able to launch a number of community-oriented programs over the last few years—(e.g Neighborhood Leaders Academy and the Love Your Block Community Grant Program, etc.)

Milwaukee is the most populous, most densely populated, and largest city in the state of Wisconsin. Located on Lake Michigan’s Western shore, the City is also known to be one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse cities in the U.S. Moreover, Milwaukee is known for blending its Midwestern ambiance with urban living and is home to many sports centers, arenas, and dozens of cultural events that it hosts each year

Work to date on Democracy and Civic Engagement:

Over the past few years, the city has experimented in numerous ways to address civic engagement and increase voter turnout. After the state legislature absolved the City’s ability to appoint volunteer registration officials, Milwaukee implemented voter registration kiosks at all neighborhood libraries.

In addition to these kiosks, Milwaukee most recently distributed household mailers to all city residents, regardless of their voter registration status, during the pandemic. These mailers were sent to residents to educate them on safe voting practices (e.g. voting by mail). They also advertised in-person voter assistance at neighborhood libraries where residents could receive assistance registering to vote or requesting a ballot by mail. Although comprehensive research has not been conducted on the mailers’ effects,

Executive Director Claire Woodall-Vogg states, “The Election Commission saw a rise in absentee applications directly after each mailing. Perhaps more importantly, though, was the assistance that residents received in-person at libraries during the pandemic when most other city services were shuttered. These voters may have otherwise opted out of voting due to safety concerns or a technological barrier.”

Located in central Oklahoma, Oklahoma City is the largest city in the state and symbolizes the state’s capital. Rooted in its historic past of homesteaders, the city has since grown to be the center of the cattle industry and the major distribution center for the state. In recent years, the city has overseen a billion-dollar redevelopment program, in which Oklahoma City seeks to renovate its downtown area, several educational institutions, and many historical buildings.

Work to date on Democracy and Civic Engagement:

On April 19th, 1995, a domestic terrorist attack took place on one of Oklahoma City’s federal buildings, resulting in a devastating 168 fatalities. Although it’s been nearly three decades since this tragedy occurred, OKC is still in the process of healing from the ramifications of this attack. In addition to navigating the consequences of the bombing years later, the City also aims to address rising issues of polarization and the spread of misinformation. To combat the issue of polarization, the City has incorporated a conversation piece in the Oklahoma City Memorial and Museum that encourages robust conversations with one another surrounding civic engagement.

In regard to election and voting reforms, the City has also expressed interest in implementing ranked-choice voting. This past election cycle, OKC has expanded early voting by a day and also provides free bus service to residents on Election Day.

“If we're not having serious conversations over policy vs. politics…we have to work really hard to talk to each other in a human way.” Steve Hill, Chief of Staff, Mayor’s Office

The first World Heritage City in the U.S., Philadelphia is home to American history, world-class cultural institutions, award-winning restaurants, and 100-plus area colleges and universities. Famous as the birthplace of America, the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection is known for its rich diversity, abundant public art, and vibrant neighborhoods.

Work to date on Democracy and Civic Engagement:

Since 2019, Philadelphia has been focused on protecting and expanding access to voting for all eligible voters. Major projects have included installing mail ballot drop boxes and creating satellite election offices to increase access, utilizing new technology and systems to ensure all votes are counted accurately and in a timely manner, and prioritizing the safety of voters and poll workers due to rising instances of voter intimidation.

Throughout recent elections, the City has developed and implemented a surge staffing program that activates City staff to support election administration in key roles. In the fall of 2022, the City engaged community members to make a plan to participate in the election, reaching out to more than 100,000 people and helping 10,000+ people make a plan to vote. The City’s website also featured a “Make a Plan to Vote” banner that connected voters to information about voter registration, mail ballots, and election day.

“The City of Philadelphia is the birthplace of democracy and we are making every effort to live up to that history. We are proud to work closely with the City Commissioners to ensure every Philadelphia voter has the information and access they need to participate in our electoral process. Elections are changing and it is up to us to ensure that those changes expand access, not reduce it.” - Stephanie Reid Executive Director, Philly Counts 2020, Office of the Managing Director

Recognized as the largest city in both the state of Washington and the overall Pacific Northwest region of the U.S., Seattle is surrounded by water, mountains, and evergreen forests. The city is known to be incredibly diverse and influenced by the Pacific Rim in art and architecture. Additionally, Seattle is widely known for its coffee culture, outdoor recreation, and as well as home to many successful companies including (e.g Starbucks, Microsoft, etc.)

Work to date on Democracy and Civic Engagement:

The most impactful civic engagement program Seattle has launched to date is its Democracy Voucher Program. Under the program, Seattle residents receive $100 in vouchers to contribute to qualified candidates of their choice. Analysis of the program reveals that the vouchers were successful in increasing campaign contributions over the three election cycles (2017, 2019, 2021) since the program was adopted. More specifically, results indicated that 1.5% of Seattleites contributed to campaigns before the voucher program. That number rose to 8% of Seattleites in 2021.

Most recently this year, Seattle legislators passed ranked-choice voting. However, their elections are during off years, and the implementation of this election reform will not be seen until 2025 and 2027.

“We’re excited to share our success with other cities, and to collaborate on new ideas to safeguard our democracy.” Wayne Barnett, ED, Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission