Rep. Stephanie Howse presented with Civility Award in State Governance from NICD

StateRep. Stephanie Howse (D-Cleveland) was recently presented with the National Institute for Civil Discourse Award for Civility in State Governance yesterday evening at the National Conference of State Legislators 2016 Legislative Summit. Ted Celeste, Director of State Programs at the National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD), presented Rep. Howse with the award in recognition of her commitment to working in a civil, productive manner for the good of her constituents.

“This election, I am disappointed that the real issues and challenges American families face are taking a back seat to negativity and partisanship, creating disillusionment instead of informed, engaged citizen voters,” said Howse. "As an Ohioan, I am committed to speaking with civility and working across the aisle to get things done. I don’t care about who you are or what political party you come from, as long as you treat others with respect and work together to help improve the lives for all Ohioans."

Founded in the wake of the 2011 assassination attempt on Congresswoman Giffords, the National Institute for Civil Discourse is a non-profit, non-partisan institute based at the University of Arizona dedicated to addressing incivility and political dysfunction in American democracy by promoting structural and behavioral change. Informed by research, NICD’s programs are designed to create opportunities for elected officials, the media, and the public to engage different voices respectfully and take responsibility for the quality of our public discourse and effectiveness of our democratic institutions.

“This election we’ve seen more personal attacks instead of policy discussions, demagoguery instead of democracy. It’s no surprise that most Americans consider political civility to be at an all-time-low,” said Dr. Carolyn Lukensmeyer, Executive Director of the National Institute for Civil Discourse. “Fortunately, we have leaders like Rep. Stephanie Howse that understand that the only way our democracy works is if we work together. I have been impressed by Stephanie’s dedication to civility and her willingness to reach across the aisle to get things done.”

NICD’s national Revive Civility campaign is bringing citizens, the media, and politicians together to demand civility in the 2016 campaign. The campaign encourages and provides tools for Americans and leaders to take solution-oriented actions to restore and call for civility in our public elections.

The National Institute for Civil Discourse works with state lawmakers from around the nation to address political dysfunction and hyper-partisanship through a series of workshops which encourage lawmakers to work across the aisle and create bi-partisan legislation that supports our democracy. NICD is targeting the state level of governance because more than half of the members of the United States Congress served originally at the state level.