First Time Testifiers Night is coming to Austin City Hall in November!

Too few people participate in our country’s political system. We know this. You know this. 

Now’s the time to do something about it. 

A Functional Democracy is organizing our city’s first-ever “First Time Testifiers Night” at City Hall in November… and you’re invited!

Here’s what we’re trying to do - Our goal is to bring 150 Austinites, who have never testified at a City Council meeting before, to City Hall to make their voices heard!

Interested in learning more/attending the event? Continue scrolling to learn more.

Interested in taking on a leadership role to make “First Time Testifiers Night” a reality? Click here to learn about our Functional Democracy Fellows program. 

That sounds super cool. Tell me more.

Prepare yourself for the best party you’ve ever been to at City Hall. Music. Drinks. Art. A photo booth. Costumes. A Parks and Rec video montage. Powerful social impact.

At the event, every attendee will have the opportunity to give a 1 minute testimony to City Council. Panicking because you have absolutely no idea how to do that?

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. We’ll be matching you up with a City Hall expert (think Leslie Knope, but better) either before or during the event to help you prepare for your moment.

Absolutely no prior knowledge about local government is necessary. Just a desire to make your community a better place to live and make your voice be heard!

Why?

Because participating in local government can be hard and confusing. Where is City Hall anyway? How do I go to a City Council meeting? Are City Council members mean?

And because participating local government is super important. Big things can be accomplished at City Hall (workers’ rights protections, environmental initiatives, economic development programs, something funny). And way too few people participate, which has a big impact on the types of policies that get passed. (In Austin’s 2014 mayoral election, less than 15 percent of people participated.)

Sign me up! Here’s how to get involved

Want to attend the event as a first time testifier? Super excited and interested in volunteering to make this project a reality? Share your info below and we’ll be in touch!

(Want to play a leadership role in making this project a reality? Click here to apply to become a Functional Democracy Fellow.)