Global Forum on direct democracy set to start on July 30
July 12, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO, California: The 2010 Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy is set to open on Friday, July 30, at the U.C. Hastings School of Law in San Francisco, California. The conference, sponsored by IRI Europe and the Citizens in Charge Foundation, is the third annual gathering of direct democracy scholars, activists, and journalists, and the first such gathering to take place in the United States.
After five days of presentations and workshops, the conference closes on Wednesday, August 4.
The event is the first time in close to a decade that America's ballot measure community has come together to trade ideas, present papers and research, and analyze laws and trends. Confirmed speakers include Paul Jacob, Bob Stern, Tracy Westen, Bryan Merica, David Jung, Ned Crosby, Mark Baldassare of PPIC, Joseph Grodin (former California Supreme Court justice), Mike Gravel, Jon Coupal, Ward Connerly, Wayne Pacelle, Rick Jacobs of the Courage Campaign, Ethan Leib and Pete Peterson.
Co-sponsors and partner organizations include the Center for Governmental Studies, Ballotpedia, ID Media, Kimball Petition Management, Common Sense California, the Sam Adams Alliance, the University of California Hastings College of the Law, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, New America Foundation, the Korea Democracy Foundation, IRI Asia, National Voter Outreach, the Humane Society of the United States and the Initiative & Referendum Institute.
