By Roger Casale

On this International Day of Democracy, there is a simple but increasingly urgent question: what does democracy mean between elections?

Voting remains the indispensable foundation of representative democracy. But casting a ballot every few years cannot be the limit of our democratic participation. Citizens also need meaningful opportunities to listen, deliberate and help shape the decisions that affect their lives.

That is why this year’s focus on deliberative democracy is so timely. It reminds us that democracy is not simply something institutions deliver. It is something citizens themselves create through participation, dialogue and deliberation.

I will be marking Democracy Day in London with DemocracyNext, which was founded on this day four years ago. Its pioneering work on citizens’ assemblies shows how people from different backgrounds and perspectives can come together, consider evidence, listen to one another and find common ground.

These questions have particular urgency in Ukraine.

Last week, the Westminster Alliance for Ukraine brought together Ukrainian and British MPs, MEPs and civil society at Europe House in London to discuss Ukraine and the Future of Europe: Unity, Security, Democracy.

One of the questions emerging from that discussion is how Ukrainians themselves can be placed at the heart of reconstruction.

Rebuilding Ukraine cannot only mean rebuilding homes, energy systems, roads and schools. It must also mean rebuilding communities, democratic institutions and trust. Millions of Ukrainians have been displaced internally or abroad; others are serving in the armed forces. Their voices must be part of deciding what comes next.

Could citizens’ assemblies and other forms of deliberative democracy become part of Ukraine’s reconstruction and democratic renewal? Could reconstruction become an opportunity not simply to restore Ukrainian democracy after the devastation of war, but to deepen it?

These are questions I hope the Westminster Alliance for Ukraine can explore with Ukrainian and European partners in the months ahead.

At our London event I said: “No act of solidarity with Ukraine is too small.”

The same is true of democracy. No act for democracy is too small. Every voice matters.

On this International Day of Democracy, my message is simple:

Make each voice count. Make your voice count.

Roger Casale is a co-founder of the Defending Democracy Global Initiative and its flagship programme, the Westminster Alliance for Ukraine, and a former member of the UK Parliament.

This article is part of CIVIL’s initiative marking the International Day of Democracy, 15 September. At CIVIL’s invitation, contributors from different fields share their reflections on the state, challenges and defence of democracy. The views expressed are those of the author.

To mark International Day of Democracy, read the statements from CIVIL – Your voice. Your freedom. Our democracy. – and DDGI and WA4U – Defending democracy. Standing with Ukraine.

Your voice.

Your freedom.

Our democracy.

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