Join us on April 7 at 7:00 p.m. for a conversation with Hélène Landemore, author of Politics Without Politicians, on what democracy must become to meet the complexity, speed, and scale of today’s world. As democratic institutions in the US and around the world come under increasing strain, Landemore invites us to consider what it would take to realize a government that’s truly by, of, and for the people. How might technology open up new possibilities for self-rule and what dangers might it pose? What role should elections, politicians, and representative institutions play in a democratic future? And what is the relationship between the legal and procedural side of democracy and the culture that democracy requires and helps to shape?

Hélène Landemore is the author of Politics Without Politicians: The Case for Citizen Rule and Open Democracy. She is currently a Full Professor in the Political Science department at Yale University and a Faculty Fellow with Yale’s Institute for Social and Policy Studies (ISPS), where she founded a research program on Citizens' Assemblies and the “Governing x” conference series. She is also a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford, England. In 2023, she served as an advisor to the Democratic Inputs to AI program at OpenAI. She is currently undertaking work supported by Schmidt Futures through the AI2050 program. Her research and teaching interests include democratic theory, constitutional theory, political epistemology, and the ethics and politics of AI.

This conversation is part of our 2025–26 Consider This series, Beyond 250. 2026 will be the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and we’re looking at what this milestone means: How do we think about and experience equality, freedom, independence, tyranny, justice, union, and other ideas central to the Declaration and to our nation’s understanding of itself? How has the Declaration shaped the country we live in today, and how might we shape its future?

Tickets

Tickets are $15 and will be available for purchase shortly. 

To ensure that everyone who wants to attend is able to, a limited number of tickets are available for free. Use this form to request a free ticket.

Other ways to participate

Can't make it in person? Tune in from anywhere! The conversation will be streamed live, for free, on our YouTube channel, and will remain available for viewing after the program.

About the venue

Mobility access: The Alberta Rose Theatre is a wheelchair-accessible venue. Anyone who uses a wheelchair or other mobility device can reserve an accessible seat at the venue by emailing house@albertarosetheatre.com in advance of the event. Accessible bathrooms are to the right of the theater entrance. 

Parking: Free parking is available in the neighborhood around the theater. Parking spaces often fill up quickly. There is one disabled person parking space less than one block away on NE 30th Ave., in front of Emmanuel Church of God in Christ United, but the space does not have a curb cut or ramp. The closest disabled person parking space with curb cuts is four blocks west, at the southwest corner of Northeast 26th Avenue and Northeast Alberta Street. A map of disabled person parking spaces is available from the Portland Bureau of Transportation.

Public transit: The TriMet Line 72 bus stops in front of the theater. Lines 70 and 17 have stops within four blocks of the venue.

Food and drink: Beverages and limited food are available for purchase and may be consumed anywhere in the theater during the event. Outside food and beverages are not permitted.

Lighting: The venue has appropriate overhead lighting before and after the conversation. During the conversation, lights are dimmed with staged lighting facing the stage. Lights in the lobby/bar remain on during the program. The auditorium does not have floor lighting in the aisles.

Sound: There will be music at a moderate volume before and after the event.

Read more about the Alberta Rose Theatre.

If you need accommodations to participate in this event, please email programs@oregonhumanities.org by March 25.

Thanks to our sponsors

Consider This is made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Oregon Cultural Trust, the Oregon State Capitol Foundation, The Standard, and Tonkon Torp LLP.

This event is part of By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, a series of community-driven programs created by humanities councils across the United States, its territories, and the District of Columbia in collaboration with local partners. Together, these programs explore 250 years of the nation's cultural life and imagine its shared future. The initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage as a complement to the 2026 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.