Civic Innovation Fellows in Alaska

The Innovation Fellowship begins with a year of deep learning – where lawmakers explore new perspectives, hear from experts across industries, and ask questions without easy answers. Year two is about transforming those insights into bipartisan legislation designed for the future. 

To close their first year, each Fellowship cohort travels together for an experiential learning trip to let Fellows see what policy looks like in practice, and how it shapes the communities it touches.

For the Civic Innovation Fellows, that journey took them to Alaska, a state rethinking how its elections work.

In Anchorage, they met with those closest to the reforms. State Senator Cathy Giessel (R-AK) spoke on how reforms can shift representation and open doors for collaboration. Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance shared lessons on leading through transition. Veterans, advocates, and election officials offered a ground-level view of running elections and building trust. And at Alaska’s Region II Election Office, Fellows saw the behind-the-scenes work that keeps democracy moving.

The lesson was clear: civic innovation isn’t theoretical – it’s lived in how communities engage, how leaders listen, and how trust is built. The trip wasn’t about endorsing reforms, but about curiosity: learning from others, asking tough questions, and imagining what’s possible at home.

As Fellows enter year two, they’ll turn these lessons into bipartisan legislation, guided by the belief that a stronger democracy is possible when leaders learn together.