Washington Post: “The White House launched the We The People petition site in 2011 as a way for Americans to get their government to respond to their calls for action. On the digital platform, people can create and sign petitions seeking specific action on an issue from the federal government. In theory, once a petition has garnered a certain number of signatures within a certain time frame, it is reviewed by White House staff and receives an official response.
But that’s not always what happens.
Now a new site, www.whpetitions.info, takes its own tally and highlights petitions that have received enough signatures but have not received responses. By its count, the White House has responded to 87 percent of petitions that have met their signature thresholds with an average response time of 61 days. But the average waiting time so far for the 30 unanswered petitions is 240 days. And six of them have been waiting for over a year.”
We the People Update
How to contribute:
Did you come across – or create – a compelling project/report/book/app at the leading edge of innovation in governance?
Share it with us at info@thelivinglib.org so that we can add it to the Collection!
About the Curator
Get the latest news right in your inbox
Subscribe to curated findings and actionable knowledge from The Living Library, delivered to your inbox every Friday
Related articles
Civic Technology
Democracy
INSTITUTIONAL INNOVATION
The Triad of Tech Sovereignty: Dependency, Openness, and Agency
Posted in June 11, 2026 by Stefaan Verhulst
DATA
Data Collaboratives
Linux Foundation Announces OpenSharing Project to Standardize AI Asset and Data Exchange
Posted in June 10, 2026 by Stefaan Verhulst
Citizen Engagement
PEOPLE
The Federal Government Should Pilot a Decision Subject Representative Program for AI Systems
Posted in June 10, 2026 by Stefaan Verhulst