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America in One Room: The Youth Vote

A partnership between Close Up, the Deliberative Democracy Lab at Stanford University, Helena, the Generation Lab, and the Neely Center at the University of Southern California.

A historic gathering of over 400 American first-time voters to discuss major policy issues.

There has been a great deal of media coverage of the upcoming election but little opportunity for people to truly discuss the issues in a civil, mutually respectful way. America in One Room, a series of national Deliberative Polls®, has shown that Americans of all backgrounds can come together to listen and understand other perspectives.

In summer 2024, Close Up, the Deliberative Democracy Lab at Stanford University (DDL), Helena, the Generation Lab, and the Neely Center at the University of Southern California hosted America in One Room: The Youth Vote in Washington, D.C. This historic event brought together a nationally representative and scientific sample of first-time voters from across the country—the people who will shape political discourse for decades to come—to deliberate key policy issues facing the nation.

Now, the time has come to share the impact of this groundbreaking event, and to continue our efforts to embed a culture of deliberative dialogue in schools nationwide.

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Join students across the country for an online deliberation!

Deliberation has been shown to alleviate polarization, moderate opinions, and produce lasting effects on policy opinions, voting intention, and mutual respect. That’s why Close Up and Stanford’s Deliberative Democracy Lab (DDL) are hosting free, ongoing, online deliberations to engage students nationwide using Stanford’s AI-assisted Online Deliberation Platform. Each event includes 60 minutes of small-group deliberation on current policy issues followed by a 60-minute plenary session with experts and policymakers, giving students a chance to learn from an array of perspectives and form their own considered opinions.

We will be hosting a national deliberation for students during Civic Learning Week (March 10-14, 2025).  More information coming soon!

  • Sign up to receive more updates on our High School Deliberation
  • Sign up to receive more updates on our University Deliberation
  • Register today for our national deliberations for 2024-2025!
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What is America in One Room: The Youth Vote?

The inaugural America in One Room: The Youth Vote gathered a scientific and nationally representative sample of over 400 young Americans in our nation’s capital from July 19-22, 2024, from a variety of geographic, demographic, socioeconomic, cultural, and ideological backgrounds. Over the course of four days, students:

  • Considered key policy issues facing the country involving the environment, health care, economic issues, and democracy and elections.
  • Deliberated in small groups in a thoughtful, civil, and substantive fashion.
  • Had townhall discussions with balanced groups of policy experts.
  • Completed pre- and post-program surveys on policy attitudes and views on key civic health indicators, including trust in others, tolerance for diverse perspectives, and belief in democracy.

Students returned home as Civic Ambassadors equipped to hold their own deliberations and gather data on youth perspectives nationwide. This fall, we will conduct a follow-up survey on participants’ views and behaviors, and begin hosting semiannual virtual deliberations to foster critical thinking, reasoned dialogue, and informed citizenship.

LEARN MORE >

We’ve assembled a coalition of university partners nationwide.

America in One Room: The Youth Vote partners with organizations dedicated to helping young people become informed and engaged citizens. We have built a diverse coalition of university partners to help highlight the importance of civic education and support this project through our individual and collective missions.

About the Partners
University Coalition Partners