How Users Suggest Issues

Who suggests issues?

Any resident of your community can write an issue and put it in your community's suggestion box. Each user can have at most one issue in the suggestion box at a time. Kitchen Democracy staff ("Kitchen Staff") may also put an issue in your community's suggestion box.

Why would someone want to write an issue?

Writing a good issue which meets community requirements takes time and effort; issue authors are usually highly motivated. The two most common reasons are:

A city official wants to educate the community and get as much input as possible before making a decision.
A citizen wants to promote - or stop - a development, traffic change or other municipal plan.

For example, I want decision makers to approve/veto a traffic light at the corner of First and Main. What should I do?

On Kitchen Democracy, you can:

While nothing is guaranteed, this process may help you get/stop the traffic light or find a compromise.

Is the process different for elected officials?

No.

I want to write an issue, but only if I win. What should I do?

While there are no guarantees, your chances for success are maximized if you craft an issue which truly meets the Kitchen Democracy community's needs. Follow the tips in Winning Issues to either craft such an issue, or gain evidence that the Kitchen Democracy community does not support your position before opening your issue for public comment.

Someone else's issue is leading the Kitchen Democracy community in the wrong direction. What should I do?

You have many options, both inside and outside of Kitchen Democracy. On Kitchen Democracy, you can

state your position and invite others to do the same
if the issue is in the suggestion box, give it low ratings and make suggestions to the author
write your own issue

Outside of Kitchen Democracy, you can

contact your elected officials
write letters to your local newspaper
organize your neighborhood to do the same

Kitchen Democracy is one of many channels in which you can participate. Tell your elected officials how you feel through all of them!

Doesn't the issue author have an advantage?

The person who authors an agenda item has an advantage, whether it's a city council agenda item, a ballot initiative, a petition or a Kitchen Democracy issue. In every case, the motivated author gathers information from many sources, both private and public, and crafts an item which they think has the best chance of simultaneously advancing their own interests as well as gaining widespread public support. That's democracy in action.

What's NOT democratic is when that process is available only to the insider, the rich and/or the well-connected. Kitchen Democracy aims to make that opportunity available to as many people as possible: anyone with motivation and Internet access can author an issue on Kitchen Democracy.

Top