About us
Civil, respectful conversation with people with different political views?
Yes, it is possible. We’re doing it and you can, too.
Crossing Party Lines is YOUR brave space to meet and talk with people you disagree with and may not even understand. You might have fun!
Our events include:
- DISCUSSIONS: We meet as small groups where you can talk to real people about the issues that divide us. Share your unique insights, encounter new perspectives and new ways of looking at the world, and experience what it's like to feel heard and understood.
You'll find that it is possible to disagree in a way that leaves you feeling true to yourself and your beliefs without losing your friends or your cool.
- WORKSHOPS: We teach the skills you need to effectively talk across differences. You will learn ways to foster curiosity and invite listening, acquire strategies for overcoming common communication barriers, and develop the confidence to talk politics with people you know, live, and work with.
- COMMUNITY EVENTS: We’re not just about talking – we’re also about community. We host game nights, screen videos, share books, and offer many other ways of connecting across differences.
At all events, trained facilitators set the tone of the discussion and help the group build trust. Come see what civil, respectful conversation is like. Who knows, you might make friends with someone you disagree with!
More about Crossing Party Lines:
We are a national nonprofit with chapters in eight states. Because we believe that the success of America’s unique democracy relies on the diversity of our viewpoints, we encourage people of all political views and parties to join and participate.
Come learn, explore, practice, and grow with us. Join this grassroots movement and become the change in your community.
Note: Due to COVID, most of our events are online. Unless otherwise stated, events are open to all Crossing Party Lines chapters, giving you a chance to interact with people from all over the country.
Upcoming events
6
Marijuana: Pass the Law—or Just Pass It?
·OnlineOnlineMarijuana laws in the United States continue to vary widely by state, even as federal law has historically classified marijuana as illegal. This gap raises questions about public policy, enforcement, public health, and the balance of power between states and the federal government.
On December 18, President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to begin the process of moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, signaling a potential shift in how marijuana is regulated at the federal level.At this meeting, we’ll explore how people think about federal marijuana policy, how state and federal roles should interact, and what values shape different perspectives on legalization.
We’ll ask questions such as:
- What comes to mind for you when you think about federal marijuana legalization?
- In your opinion, should marijuana be legal medicinally, recreationally, both, or not at all? Why?
- How do you think federal legalization—or continued federal prohibition—might affect your state?
- In what ways do public health, personal freedom, or criminal justice factor into your thinking?
Before this meeting, please take a few minutes to watch this video, which explains what the different “schedules” listed in the Controlled Substances Act mean.
This will be an opportunity to explore different perspectives and engage in a respectful conversation about federal marijuana legalization in the U.S.
Please do your best to arrive at the beginning of the meeting – once we are in breakout rooms and the conversations have started, the meeting doors close to new arrivals. The breakout rooms open (and the doors close) approximately 15 minutes after the hour.
We would love to hear your thoughts on our social media pages. Don't miss topic announcements, updates, news! Follow us on:
- Instagram @crossingpartylines
- Twitter @crosspartylines
- Facebook @crossingpartylines
1 attendee
Open Primaries: Opening Doors—or Changing the Game?
·OnlineOnline## Open Primaries: Opening Doors—or Changing the Game?
Pre-Reads
Open primaries in the United States
State Primary Election Types | NCSLPrimary elections play a major role in determining which candidates appear on general election ballots, yet states take different approaches to how these elections are run. Open primaries, in particular, raise questions about who should be able to participate and how that participation shapes electoral outcomes.
At this meeting, we’ll explore how open primaries work, how people understand their purpose, and what impacts they may have on voters, political parties, and elections in the United States.
We’ll explore questions such as:
- What do you see as the purpose of primary elections, and how do open primaries fit that purpose?
- How might open primaries affect voter participation and representation?
- In what ways could open primaries influence political parties and candidate selection?
- What are some potential benefits and drawbacks of open primaries compared to closed primaries?
Before this meeting, please take a few minutes to watch these videos, which explain the primary system and where open primaries fit within it.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_95I_1rZiIs
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMequ6p9LLo
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWpdzlSUp84
This conversation will provide an opportunity to explore different perspectives and engage respectfully on how primary election systems shape democratic participation.
Please do your best to arrive at the beginning of the meeting – once we are in breakout rooms and the conversations have started, the meeting doors close to new arrivals. The breakout rooms open (and the doors close) approximately 15 minutes after the hour.
We would love to hear your thoughts on our social media pages. Don't miss topic announcements, updates, news! Follow us on:
- Instagram @crossingpartylines
- Twitter @crosspartylines
- Facebook @crossingpartylines
1 attendee
Workshop: Moral Foundations Theory
·OnlineOnlineWORKSHOP: Moral Foundations Theory – CPL 300
Moral Foundations Theory provides a framework for exploring moral decision making in a civil and respectful way. In this workshop we apply this framework to talking politics.
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Attendees: Before the meeting, please download and print the handouts, which are located on this page: https://crossingpartylines.com/using-moral-foundations-theory-in-political-conversations/****************Workshop Description**************************
We begin by discussing each of the six foundations and getting a taste of how they can manifest differently in different people. This leads to exploring some of the tensions intrinsic within the foundations themselves, which opens the door to moving from the moral/immoral dichotomy to an appreciation of how interacting with people who are differently moral to us leads to a more nuanced view of any issue and eventually to better solutions.
The second half of this workshop introduces techniques designed to help you:
- Recognize the moral underpinnings of your own views
- Listen for indications that one or more of the six moral foundations is at play
- Bring morality in a discussion in a non confrontational way
Pre-read Material
Jonathan Haidt: The moral roots of liberals and conservatives (https://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_haidt_the_moral_roots_of_liberals_and_conservatives?language=en)
Can a divided America heal? | Jonathan Haidt (https://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_haidt_can_a_divided_america_heal?language=en)ABOUT CPL Workshops
Get the training you need to effectively cross party lines. Crossing Party Lines provides a series of FREE classes teaching the skills we use to talk across differences. We teach proven, science-based techniques to foster curiosity, invite listening, and connect across differences.
We designed these techniques based on recent discoveries in such fields as cognitive science, neurobiology, and evolutionary psychology. Because understanding the partisan brain is central to the work of Crossing Party Lines, our workshops cover both the skills and some of the basic science behind them.
We would love to hear your thoughts on our social media pages. Don't miss topic announcements, updates, news! Subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on:
• Instagram @crossingpartylines (Instagram.com/crossingpartylines)
• Twitter @crosspartylines (Twitter.com/CrossPartyLines)
• Facebook @crossingpartylines (Facebook.com/crossingpartylines)2 attendees
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