deliberative polling offers a representative sample of citizens a modest honorarium to spend several days at a comfortable conference hotel to discuss an important issue. They receive a packet of information to read in advance. Participants meet in small groups and develop questions for panels of experts. At the end of the process, participants have moved from a spectrum of fragmentary views to several focused alternatives. Unlike a trial jury, they are not required to reach unanimity. Rather, each participant completes a poll at the end of the weekend. The goal is to develop informed positions that represent the community’s opinions.

Deliberative polling is not merely experimental; it has been used to make decisions. In Texas, between 1996 and 1998 eight utility companies used deliberative polling to decide how to produce additional electricity. 349 To their surprise, after considering all the factors involved, customers wanted more renewable power and they were willing to pay a higher monthly rate in exchange for it. The utility companies added 1,000 megawatts in capacity, primarily as windmills.

— Technology matters by David E. Nye