Equality by lot

From Idea to Event: Building Local Engagement about Sortition

How do you turn an interest in sortition into events that bring people together? Benny Nissen shares his experiences with Levende Demokrati Næstved (LDN), a local city democracy association, and organising Demokratidag in Næstved, Denmark. He discusses building partnerships, securing funding and attracting an audience, alongside the challenges of organising activities through voluntary engagement. The presentation also explores how a broader democracy event can create opportunities to introduce sortition to new audiences, with reflections on what worked, what proved difficult and what others might learn from the experience.

Benny Nissen is a Danish entrepreneur and sortition advocate with a particular interest in constitutions based on sortition. His experience as a lay judge and juror helped shape his interest in the role ordinary citizens can play in public decision-making. He is active in the local organisation Levende Demokrati Næstved and the International Network of Sortition Advocates (INSA), and is the author of Sortition as a Supplement to Danish Democracy. https://sortition.dk/download/sbt-en.pdf

Date: Saturday, 14 November 2026 • Sunday, 15 February – Australia & Asia

Time: 17:00-18:00 London • 18:00-19:00 Europe/Copenhagen • 12:00 Noon-1:00 PM US Eastern • 9:00-10 AM US Pacific

Location: Google Meet

To join the video meeting, click this link: https://meet.google.com/zgm-qviu-wkp
Otherwise, to join by phone, dial +353 1 571 2050 and enter this PIN: 951 174 948#
To view more phone numbers, click this link: https://tel.meet/zgm-qviu-wkp?hs=5

INSA is a volunteer organisation aimed at connecting pro-sortition academics, advocates, and activists around the world, to share resources & tactics and advance the theoretical understanding and practice of sortition.

You are invited to join our Discord server at https://discord.gg/6sgnrphp6w.

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