California, facing chronic budget and other statewide troubles, might get its state constitution rewritten by the masses in an online constitutional convention. The process uses an online organizing technique known as “crowdsourcing” and rewards contributions with prizes, scholarships, and fame.
The project, reThinkCali, launched by California business and policy leaders, is an online effort to make major reforms in the state. The online effort has two parts, the reConstitutional e-Convention (reCon eCon) to rewrite the state constitution and a reSolutions competition for public policy ideas to improve the state. The program does not appear to have any official connection with the California state government.
“The purpose of the constitutional convention is to achieve major reforms for California,” said Jim Wunderman, CEO of the Bay Area Council, in a video about the effort.
California consumer champion Anthony Rubenstein is the founder and director of the effort and he is working with the Bay Area Council, and the New America Foundation.
The process is in its beginning stages with articles of the constitution being proposed until Sept. 14. After that the language of the chosen articles will be fine tuned and then ratified. Along with the constitution rewrite process is the policy proposal process named “reSolutions,” a forum for ideas to improve California.
“We’re going to unleash the spirit of invention and out-of-the-box thinking that has made California the global engine of economic and cultural innovation,” said Rubenstein in a press release. “By using California’s new media tools like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to throw open the gates, we want to encourage everyone with an idea to fix what ails us to get involved, get heard, and get rewarded.”
“If we succeed we can allow the California dream to once again be a beacon for the rest of the world,” said Bay Area Council CEO Jim Wunderman.
The project, reThinkCali, launched by California business and policy leaders, is an online effort to make major reforms in the state. The online effort has two parts, the reConstitutional e-Convention (reCon eCon) to rewrite the state constitution and a reSolutions competition for public policy ideas to improve the state. The program does not appear to have any official connection with the California state government.
“The purpose of the constitutional convention is to achieve major reforms for California,” said Jim Wunderman, CEO of the Bay Area Council, in a video about the effort.
California consumer champion Anthony Rubenstein is the founder and director of the effort and he is working with the Bay Area Council, and the New America Foundation.
The process is in its beginning stages with articles of the constitution being proposed until Sept. 14. After that the language of the chosen articles will be fine tuned and then ratified. Along with the constitution rewrite process is the policy proposal process named “reSolutions,” a forum for ideas to improve California.
“We’re going to unleash the spirit of invention and out-of-the-box thinking that has made California the global engine of economic and cultural innovation,” said Rubenstein in a press release. “By using California’s new media tools like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to throw open the gates, we want to encourage everyone with an idea to fix what ails us to get involved, get heard, and get rewarded.”
“If we succeed we can allow the California dream to once again be a beacon for the rest of the world,” said Bay Area Council CEO Jim Wunderman.
