Democracy@TAU
Building democracy together
What happens when a university community takes responsibility for a shared question — and works together to decide what to do?
Democracy@TAU connects learning, a student citizens’ assembly and a university-wide referendum. The community chooses an issue; the assembly studies it and creates a proposal; students, faculty and administrative staff are invited to decide.
Our pilot concluded in December 2025. We are now preparing the 2026/27 cycle: a year-long process designed to broaden participation and connect the assembly with the whole campus.
From pilot to the next cycle
2026/27 · THE NEXT CYCLE
We are preparing a process spanning the academic year: community selection of an issue, a more diverse student assembly, learning and deliberation, the creation of alternatives and a shared proposal, and a university-wide referendum. Digital tools in development will help connect the wider campus with the assembly’s work. The format is taking shape; participation details and the timetable will follow.
2025 · THE PILOT AND ITS ACHIEVEMENTS
The pilot began with a campus poll on which issue to address. A student assembly studied the university’s response to a constitutional crisis and created a graduated framework linking academia and society with a procedure for emergencies. In the concluding referendum, 1,712 people voted; 75.8% supported the proposal, with a supporting majority among students, faculty and administrative staff alike. These figures describe the voters; the result was not defined in advance as binding on the university leadership.
Follow the pilot: process, results and lessons →
DEMOCRATIC CO-AUTHORSHIP
The ambition reaches beyond expressing preferences or finding common ground. We want people to shape the questions, create possibilities and take responsibility for decisions together. The pilot’s achievements and limitations are the foundation for improving that practice.
Assembly · Proposal · Referendum results · Full report in Hebrew