Overview
Democracy Stream is the public visibility engine of the Citizens Rise plan. It ensures that once dark money is exposed and constrained by firewall laws, reform candidates can be seen, heard, and supported — not just by insiders, but by the public.
Even the most qualified firewall-compliant candidate can’t succeed if voters never hear from them. Democracy Stream solves that problem — not with billion-dollar ad buys, but by building a publicly accessible media and amplification platform that lifts candidates who follow the rules and tell the truth.
The Problem
- Reform candidates are often excluded from debates and media coverage
- Traditional media prioritizes sensationalism and donor-backed narratives
- Social platforms favor viral content, not verified civic information
- Voters struggle to find honest, side-by-side comparisons of their choices
Even in a post-firewall world, these visibility barriers could persist unless we build intentional infrastructure to level the playing field.
What Democracy Stream Includes
- Candidate Media Profiles
- Short videos, bios, platform summaries, and firewall certification for each candidate
- Searchable by race, region, and policy stance
- Civic Airtime Rules
- Local TV and radio stations using public spectrum must offer airtime slots to verified candidates
- Modeled on FCC public interest obligations
- Public Promotion Pool
- Use Democracy Credits or public-interest funding to support distribution of firewall candidate messages on social media
- Remixable Content Kits
- Templates and editable video snippets for TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Bluesky
- Enables supporters and candidates to amplify clean content without needing full media teams
- Micro-Influencer Network
- Small creators (500–10,000 followers) receive training and optional stipends to boost public-interest candidate messages
- Policy Q&A Library
- Candidates answer standardized questions on major issues
- Voters can compare answers across multiple candidates in plain language
Eligibility
Only firewall-compliant candidates — those who reject dark money and follow full disclosure rules — are eligible for Democracy Stream support.
Timing and Cost Considerations
Democracy Stream represents a later-phase rollout of the Citizens Rise plan. A fully featured platform with video hosting, search tools, content moderation, and public ad buying systems would cost millions of dollars and require legal, technical, and nonprofit partners.
It cannot and should not be built before the success of:
- Strategy 1: Clean State Firewall
- Strategy 2: Trigger Law
- Strategy 4: Debate Access Reform
- Strategy 6: Digital Tools
These create the foundation that Democracy Stream depends on.
What Can Be Done Now
Until full-scale implementation is possible, Citizens Rise will:
1. Distribute Content Kits
Provide candidates with customizable video templates, campaign messaging guides, and social media visuals using platforms like Canva and CapCut
2. Build Civic Media Partnerships
Partner with college media, local TV and radio, nonprofit newsrooms, and community broadcasters to showcase firewall-aligned candidates in public forums
3. Pilot Projects
Test Democracy Stream concepts in 1–2 states by:
- Launching candidate video playlists on YouTube or Bluesky
- Creating a basic candidate comparison page with issue stances
- Running small-scale social ad tests using pooled Democracy Credits
These pilots will prove the model, attract allies, and prepare the system for broader rollout once reforms are passed.
Why It Matters
The firewall keeps the game clean. Democracy Stream ensures the players are seen. Without visibility, reform is buried under noise. But with the right infrastructure — public-facing, trust-based, and citizen-amplified — we can put voters back in charge of the narrative.
This isn’t campaign tech for insiders. It’s civic media for everyone.