In his TEDxOhioStateUniversity talk titled “Politics, Pride & Prejudice: Town Halls Can Save Democracy,” Dr. Michael Neblo shared how his personal story has driven his (and IDEA’s) research agenda about what really needs to be fixed in democracy. “My journey to this stage really began with my grandfather’s journey to this country,” Neblo said, recalling his illiterate Italian immigrant grandfather, Stefano Napolillo, who fled Mussolini’s fascist Italy. Despite his illiteracy, Napolillo took his democratic responsibilities seriously. “He stayed informed by talking politics with his neighbors during their bocce matches and brought my father into the voting booth to read the ballot for him. So, growing up, it was clear to me that democracy is for everyone.” However, Neblo’s experiences in graduate school challenged this view. He encountered scholars known as realists who argue that democracy is not really for everyone. 

“Some realists actually compare disengaged citizens to Hobbits, too simple-minded to understand the world beyond their front door. And they compare more engaged citizens to soccer hooligans, blindly supporting the home team and rabidly pushing their agenda.” 

Rejecting this cynical view, Neblo sought to show that real democracy was possible and developed Deliberative Town Halls (DTHS) as a solution. “We recruit a representative group of people, make it accessible to everyone, and provide high-quality background materials so that everyone starts the conversation on the same page,” he explained. Neblo emphasized that citizens are not apathetic, as realists suggest. “Rather, in our research, we’ve found that citizens are frustrated, not apathetic. They feel like nobody’s paying attention to them, and that politicians cater to special interests.”  

The deliberative town halls address this frustration by creating a space for substantive and civil discussions between citizens and their representatives. “We use neutral moderators to make sure that the discussion stays civil, substantive, and on topic, and that the elected officials stay genuinely responsive.” 

Neblo highlighted the effectiveness of these town halls, sharing that “95% of participants say the town halls are very valuable for democracy and that they’d participate in another one.” And DTHs don’t just feel good. They have real-world impacts on actual votes. “There was a member of Congress who announced that the high-quality deliberation with his constituents had persuaded him to change the version of a bill he was supporting,” Neblo explained how DTHS can actually break the vicious cycle of citizens believing their Members don’t care what they think, and so not getting engaged, which results in Members not hearing from them and being able to represent them, which then deepens the distrust.  Reflecting on the international success of this model, Neblo shared that they had conducted forums in countries such as Northern Ireland, Australia, and the United Kingdom, with plans to expand to places like Nigeria, Korea, Chile, and Indonesia. “We’ve just set them up to be better politics,” Neblo stated, adding that these forums “bring disillusioned citizens back into the process.”

In a particularly memorable part of his talk, Neblo discussed how his family’s journey informed his view of democracy. Reflecting on his visit to his grandfather’s hometown of Nusco, he said:

 “As I sat enjoying the delicious food, I thought about how far our family had come in just two generations. And it became so clear to me for the first time that the realists don’t merely get democracy wrong—they get it backwards.”

Despite their lack of formal education, he emphasized that people like his grandfather are more prepared for citizenship than political professionals might assume. 

Neblo closed with an optimistic message: “Despite all of our troubles right now, we now have proven methods that can bring out the best in people and make democracy work for everyone—for people like you, people like me, and people like my grandfather.” 

To access this talk, please click on the link: Politics, Pride & Prejudice: Town Halls Can Save Democracy | Michael Neblo | TEDxOhioStateUniversity