![Page 1: Direct digital democracy: case study of ManaBalss.lv #pdf2016](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062903/588a9ac81a28ab904b8b6977/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Citizen initiatives’ Platform MyVoice
Imants Breidaks CEO of ManaBalss.lv
18th of March, 2016
![Page 2: Direct digital democracy: case study of ManaBalss.lv #pdf2016](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062903/588a9ac81a28ab904b8b6977/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
“ManaBalss.lv now puts Latvia at the forefront of European efforts to shift
some forms of political participation to the Internet.”
The New York Times April 9, 2013
![Page 3: Direct digital democracy: case study of ManaBalss.lv #pdf2016](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062903/588a9ac81a28ab904b8b6977/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
The Problem
![Page 4: Direct digital democracy: case study of ManaBalss.lv #pdf2016](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062903/588a9ac81a28ab904b8b6977/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
The Challenge
![Page 5: Direct digital democracy: case study of ManaBalss.lv #pdf2016](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062903/588a9ac81a28ab904b8b6977/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
The Solution
Bringing people’s ideas to Parliament and putting them on the official agenda.
![Page 6: Direct digital democracy: case study of ManaBalss.lv #pdf2016](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062903/588a9ac81a28ab904b8b6977/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
HOW DOES IT WORK?INITIATIVE SUBMITTED TO MANABALSS.LV, REVIEWED, IMPROVED
INITIATIVE PUBLISHED ON MANABALSS.LV
COLLECTING SIGNATURES
10 000 SIGNATURES >> SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT
REVIEWED IN PARLIAMENT (TECHNICAL)
REVIEWED & DISCUSSED IN PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSION (CONTENT)
A VOTE IN PARLIAMENT (SUGGESTED BY THE COMMISSION)
![Page 7: Direct digital democracy: case study of ManaBalss.lv #pdf2016](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062903/588a9ac81a28ab904b8b6977/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Because of Mana Balss / My Voice
New law provisions on stricter consequences for breaking MP’s ethical code
A new participation mechanism – collective submission
New law provisions on limiting the use of synthetic drugs
![Page 8: Direct digital democracy: case study of ManaBalss.lv #pdf2016](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062903/588a9ac81a28ab904b8b6977/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Mana Balss / My Voice
22 initiatives have been submitted to the Parliament
9 initiatives have received a vote in Parliament and have become laws or law amendments!
Over 50% of Latvia’s population have visited ManaBalss.lv
500 000 signatures collected
Recognized as an Open Government success story world wide
![Page 9: Direct digital democracy: case study of ManaBalss.lv #pdf2016](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062903/588a9ac81a28ab904b8b6977/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Mana Balss / My Voice
![Page 10: Direct digital democracy: case study of ManaBalss.lv #pdf2016](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062903/588a9ac81a28ab904b8b6977/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Comparison
White House petition system:- Oriented towards executive power. Requests of all kinds.- 100’000 votes needed- ~212 have got the needed amount and recieved response.- 1 (?) have become a law
United Kingdom parliamentary & governmental petitions:- Oriented towards executive and legislative power. Requests of all
kinds.- 10’000 or 100’000 needed- 104 have gotten government response and 19 have gotten House of
Commons response- Possibly 0 changes in laws.
![Page 11: Direct digital democracy: case study of ManaBalss.lv #pdf2016](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062903/588a9ac81a28ab904b8b6977/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Comparison
Citizen initiative platform in Finland:- Maintained by Ministry of Justice as one of few participation tools- 50’000 votes needed- 400 published after quality control by the ministry- 10 have got the needed amount- 1 has become a law
![Page 12: Direct digital democracy: case study of ManaBalss.lv #pdf2016](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062903/588a9ac81a28ab904b8b6977/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Lack of quality control for authors, texts. Results – some anticonstitutional, radical and illegal petitions.
Low number of signatures needed for submission. 25’000 (0,06% of population) vs 10’000 (0,5%).
Low level of obligations from state institutions to answer.
Systems are not user-friendly, hard to navigate, disorganized databases of petitions.
Large presence of personal and local level issues that are raised to national level. Result: 17’000 petitions on Ukrainian presidential site in 2 months since launch. Impossible to manage for 1 employee.
Petitions more like complaints rather than initiatives towards solutions.
A case of Ukrainian state petition platforms
![Page 13: Direct digital democracy: case study of ManaBalss.lv #pdf2016](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062903/588a9ac81a28ab904b8b6977/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Enthusiastic people
User friendly technology
Cooperation with state
institutions
Financially self-
sustainable
Mana Balss My Voice
![Page 14: Direct digital democracy: case study of ManaBalss.lv #pdf2016](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062903/588a9ac81a28ab904b8b6977/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
How can governments create effective participation frameworks
and tools for the people to come up with and implement their own
solutions?