Our Mission

The People gathers and enables everyday Americans to find common ground and take action together to create a government that is truly of, by, and for the people.

Our Work

We seek to address the root causes of government ineffectiveness, not just symptoms. We work to produce truly non-partisan solutions in all we do. We do not seek to advantage one party or the other, but instead aim to reduce the unproductive effects of the current two-party political system. We entrust and empower the people of our country to lead government reform efforts and support their agency in all we do. We contribute to (re)building relationships and a sense of community across our country through our work together.

Learn about some of our core initiatives here.

Our Beginning

Spurred on by the vitriol and division of the 2016 election, conservative pollster Frank Luntz, social activist Andrew Shue, and TV producer Patty Wolfe set out to see if the American people had irreconcilable differences. Meetings were held in nine states across the country with over 200 citizens from all backgrounds and political beliefs coming together. Questions were put to conservatives and liberals alike: Can we fix our broken political system? Do you take responsibility for our future? Can you stop blaming others and work together with people from the other side to fix our broken politics? The answer was a resounding YES!

Determined to do something to help heal a divided America, Andrew connected with democracy entrepreneur Katie Fahey. Having successfully led over 14,000 volunteers on a non-partisan ballot initiative to end Gerrymandering in Michigan, Katie was the doer to get it done. With the knowledge that Americans were committed to healing our divide, and with Katie at the helm, a call was put out to try and recruit a diverse, representative group of citizens to see what could be done. This led to 100 individuals from all 50 states showing up in the nation’s capital, at the first National Assembly. After an intense three day marathon of dialogue, the assembled group agreed to ratify a joint declaration and officially launch “The People” – an organization devoted to finding common ground and taking action, together, to better our democracy.

The People’s declaration is emphatic: we must take responsibility; no one is coming to save us; we are all in the same boat and we must pull together if we are to survive. If we can do this, we can create the government Lincoln imagined – of, by, and for the people.