Citizens Jury to Deliberate on GMO Food Labeling Proposal
Group to Evaluate Initiative 48, on the November Ballot
By Brenda Morrison
5,000 voters across the state of Colorado recently received letters in the mail inviting them to participate in the Colorado Citizens’ Initiative Review (CIR) pilot project. The Colorado CIR is a new way for Colorado voters to evaluate complex ballot measures leading up to the November election.
From those who respond to the initial mailing with interest, a panel of 20 randomly selected and demographically balanced voters will comprise a citizen jury that will evaluate one statewide initiative on the November ballot.
This year, the Colorado CIR will evaluate the genetically modified (GMO) food labeling Initiative 48, which asks voters to change the Colorado Revised Statutes to require food that has been genetically modified or treated with genetically modified material to be labeled “Produced With Genetic Engineering” beginning on July 1, 2016.
Generally, one in four voters say they find ballot measures too complicated or confusing to understand. The goal with the Colorado CIR Pilot is to give citizen jurors all of the information on an issue, and then let their report serve as a clear, useful way for voters to research an issue before heading to the polls.
Voters who received an invitation to participate were asked to respond with their interest by late August. The citizen jury will convene in Denver from September 7 to 10 for three days of public deliberation. Moderated by professional facilitators, the Colorado CIR will provide citizen panelists with:
• Adequate time to examine both sides of the issues (three days of public deliberation)
• The opportunity to directly discuss the issue with information directly from the proponents and opponents of the ballot initiative
• The ability to call on neutral policy experts to answer questions and provide additional information
The committee will publicly release its report on Wednesday, September 10.
Colorado joins Arizona and Oregon as one of just three states piloting the citizen jury process of evaluating and educating voters on ballot initiatives. A team of independent researchers will evaluate the effectiveness of the Colorado CIR to determine if the review is a useful tool for increasing voter knowledge.
For more information and to see the CIR report when it becomes available on September 10, please visit www.circolorado.org.
Park Hill resident Brenda Morrison is a partner at Engaged Public, a Denver-based public policy strategy firm. She is serving as the project director of the Colorado CIR Pilot and can be reached at brenda@engagedpublic.com