Polarized Congress doesn’t represent common ground

Americans are deeply frustrated with Washington. They see partisan polarization has created persistent gridlock.

Polling from Pew Research Center shows that polarization in Congress has reached a new zenith. Experts are concerned that public frustration has gotten so severe that democracy is at risk.

It is easy to assume that the polarization in Congress is a mirror of the American people – after all, Congress is elected by the people.

But research we have done over many years with representative samples of Americans shows the people are not the problem. In fact, the American people are much less polarized than Congress. There is extensive bipartisan common ground and new methods of consulting the people provide a road map to help lead us through many legislative impasses.

Citizens gather to study issues

One challenge is many Americans are not well-informed enough to give indepth input on key issues Congress faces. But there is a way through this.

The Program for Public Consultation at the University of Maryland has develop “policymaking simulations” that put citizens in the shoes of a policymaker. They get a briefing on policy options under consideration, evaluate pro and con arguments, then make recommendations. We field these nationally as online surveys with stratified random samples of voters. We also run these surveys with representative samples in congressional districts, then – working with Voice of the People, Civic Genius and local media – convene a forum with the congressional representative and constituents who took the survey to review the results and discuss the issues.

At the Center for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford University, voters receive briefings from experts and engage in small group discussions with other citizens, usually over the course of a weekend. We poll participants before and after going through this process and often find significant changes in their views as they get more information and a chance to deliberate.

In both cases, all of the content citizens are presented is reviewed by opponents as well as proponents of the proposals to ensure that the briefings are accurate and balanced, and the best arguments are made on both sides.

What is most striking is these processes have revealed more than 170 policy positions supported by majorities of both Republicans and Democrats on a wide range of issues Congress has gotten stuck on. These include health care, immigration, Social Security, the budget deficit, energy and the environment.

America Talks brings us together

The fact there is underlying common ground is one of the reasons why when events like America Talks bring people together across the political divide, they find they agree more than they expect.

How can this be? What drives Congress if not their voters?

The sad answer is members of Congress mostly hear from special interests and their lobbyists, donors and self-selected citizens with strong opinions who are not necessarily representative of the people as a whole. They have no way to hear from the people as a whole.

It is easy to assume that because they were elected they must be doing what their constituents want. But that’s not how Americans perceive it. In fact, Republicans, Democrats and independents say their elected representatives have a poor understanding of the views of the people they represent.

Americans see this as a violation of the social contract that goes back to the Founders and a major contributor to the lack of confidence in government and a declining confidence in democracy.

Americans overwhelmingly endorse using these new methods to consult the people on issues facing government. The demand for public consultation is so great voters say they would even cross party lines to vote for candidates who commit to using these methods.

Americans are optimistic that if Congress were to use these methods of public consultation enabling them to listen more closely to the people – as the Founders intended – they would be more likely to find common ground. Fortunately, our research says they are right.