Through crowdsourcing, Mexico City (CDMX) granted a voice and autonomy to the citizens to generate a new constitution. Online petitions, surveys, kiosks, general assemblies and data collection centres served as spaces to acquire these opinions and recommendations for a new constitution.

Surveys- To gather people’s views on what they think their city looks like and what they would improve on. Available both online and offline, 26,000 full answers from residents. 1,474 neighbourhoods reached  

Consitutional assembly- To approve the final draft of the constitutional assembly. 60% of the members were democratically elected  

Stakeholders:

a. Drafting group- Developed a first draft of the constitution   

b. Residents of Mexico City- Provided input on online forums, data collection centres, community Citizen Assemblies, petitions, surveys,   

c. LabCDMX Technology to implement surveys, kiosks, volunteers 

d. Constitutional assembly- Approved the draft constitution   

Network, governance and communication:

1. The mayor of Mexico City appointed 28 residents to a drafting committee which drafted the consitution. 

i. At the beginning of constitutional drafting committee’s weekly sessions, LabCDMX provided an updated analysis of the survey, with charts and graphs summarising the results. An in-person report from the general counsel and other staff members was presented. These reports guided the group’s discussions.  

2. City installed kiosks in highly trafficked public spaces, which reached people that, for whatever reason, weren’t able to participate in the Citizen Assemblies. Citizens could organise events related to the Constitution 

i. Change.org petition: 427,815 supporters  26,040 Mexico City residents fully answered the survey, which comprised 82 percent of total respondents (the remainder reside in greater Mexico City or elsewhere in Mexico). The responses captured perspectives from 1,474 neighborhoods and 55 citizen-led events.  

3. LabCDMX collected input from citizens in two ways. First it conducted a comprehensive survey on people imagining their city. The survey was available online and physically, where volunteers were in busy street corners, parks, entrances to subways. LabCDMX also installed a kiosk where there was no need for volunteers. At the kiosk, people could answer the survey using the tablet/paper.   

4. A 100-member constitutional assembly (asamblea constituyente) was tasked to negotiate and approve the constitution document based on a draft provided by the mayor. 60 representatives were voted by Mexico City voters and 40 would be drawn from Congress, appointed by the mayor, or appointed by the president. But the mayor had no authority over this assembly once a draft text was released.