Citizens´ juries for Schwerte: Democracy for Everyone!
On November 26, 2025, the Schwerte City Council decided to hold citizens’ juries in the city.
In the future, such mini-publics are intended to ensure that the public has a say on key issues prior to important decisions. The results will serve as recommendations for policymakers and city officials. Citizens’ juries also reach and give a voice to people who have not yet been engaged through traditional participatory formats. The first Schwerte Citizens’ Jury is scheduled to take place in 2027.
What makes mini-publics unique is that participants are randomly selected from the general population. When assembling a pool of participants, care is taken to ensure that the Citizens’ Jury reflects the diversity of the population based on criteria such as age, gender, education, place of residence, and migration background.
No prior knowledge is required to participate in a Citizens’ Jury. People without a German passport and young people who are not yet eligible to vote can also participate. Sortition makes no distinction between male and female, rich and poor, professors and workers, or people born here and immigrants. The topics under discussion are examined from a variety of perspectives. Citizens’ juries are thus, in the best sense of the word, democracy for all.
Citizens’ juries generates ideas on topics such as local transportation policy, urban development, and municipal climate protection. The recommendations formulated as a result are submitted to the city council as a citizens’ report. The council reviews the mini-public´s findings and decides whether to adopt them, adopt them in a modified form, or reject them.
On September 15, citizens’ assembly expert Thorsten Sterk from the organization “Mehr Demokratie” will speak about the procedures and practices of mini-publics. He will also offer tips and advice for the future organization of citizens’ juries in Schwerte. The presentation will take place as part of the annual networking conference of the “Engagierte Stadt” working group.