Deliberation Day is a proposed national holiday in the United States aimed at enhancing democratic engagement through structured public discussions prior to major elections.
Conceived by the constitutional law scholar Bruce Ackerman and the political scientist James S. Fishkin, who laid out the rationale for their proposal in their 2005 book, Deliberation Day,[1] the initiative seeks to foster informed citizen participation in the electoral process.
[2] Ackerman and Fishkin propose that Deliberation Day would occur two weeks before major elections, with government-sponsored events held in accessible community spaces such as schools and civic centers.
Additionally, organizing such a large-scale event presents logistical complexities, including the recruitment and training of moderators, securing appropriate venues, and ensuring equitable access across diverse communities.
[6] Empirical studies suggest that deliberation among like-minded individuals can lead to group polarization, where discussions reinforce and intensify pre-existing views, resulting in more extreme positions.
For instance, an experiment involving citizens from predominantly liberal and conservative cities demonstrated that intra-group deliberation increased ideological divisions, reducing diversity of thought within groups.