Washington, DC

By incorporating public participation into the mayoral transition process in Washington, DC, Talking Transition allowed the incoming administration to tailor policy initiatives based on public needs.

Challenge

Following its 2014 mayoral election, in Washington DC, HR&A planned and executed a second public engagement survey coinciding with the 2014 mayoral transition. On behalf of OSF and a consortium of District-based grantees—including the Urban Institute, the National Institute for Civil Discourse, DC Vote, and DC Working Families—HR&A designed a survey instrument and identified methods for survey deployment to 8,500 respondents. HR&A assessed survey data and synthesized results for public dissemination, including a citywide 21st-Century Town Hall presentation and report for Mayor Bowser.

 
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Response

Talking Transition DC was an experiment in innovative civic engagement, policy, and grass-roots organizing that seeks to transform the typically insular, closed door process that occurs between Election Day and Inauguration Day into an opportunity for broad civil discourse—and ultimately a stronger, more equitable democracy. 

HR&A organized multiple channels of engagement including policy papers, newspaper op-eds, and a town-hall gathering at the Washington Convention Center. To include as many voices, perspectives, and opinions as possible, HR&A designed a mobile survey and managed deployment. The survey asked a range of quality of life questions, spanning from school quality and job availability to housing affordability and transit access. The Talking Transition survey was conducted on foot and via the web during a four-week period in December 2014 and January 2015. Over 8,500 Washingtonians made their voices heard on issues ranging from housing to education, and police-community relations to transit. HR&A reviewed, validated, and analyzed the data and analyzed answers by ward to better understand potential geographic differences in responses.

 
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Impact

HR&A synthesized the survey results into a report for public dissemination and presented the findings through a citywide 21st Century Town Hall meeting. Following the conclusion of the project, the team also presented the report to Mayor Muriel Bowser, meeting with her to discuss the survey’s results and its potential policy implications.

Read the report >

 
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Partners

Special thanks to the following partners who supported Talking Transition in Washington, DC:

  • National Institute for Civil Discourse

  • Urban Institute

  • DC Working Families

  • DC Vote