This article by Marion Sharp is published in Democracy without Elections. Here is an excerpt:

The experience of being a panelist in a citizen assembly process (in this case, a Citizens Initiative Review) changed me – and changed my perspective on how the world could work.

I went into this experience . . . curious, but definitely skeptical. I had recently attended a large one-day event that had a similar intent as a citizen assembly. It was interesting . . . but there were several important elements that didn’t build my trust and confidence in the event and the process. And for one, I do think it requires more than one day.

So when I arrived in Salem, Oregon to participate in a citizens assembly examining 2010 Ballot Measure 73, Oregon Minimum Criminal Sentence Increase – I was once again curious, but even more cautious and skeptical.

Read the full article here.