ABSTRACT
Modern deliberative democracy is geared to functionally include perspectives from among a wide array of interests to ensure that meaningful interactions occur between participants which have the capacity to affect government actions going forward. Citizen participation in the US political system that is conducted through available deliberative means can greatly contribute to reinforcing the perpetuation of important democratic principles, including accountability, flexibility and transparency. The presence or absence of citizen trust can affect the perception of legitimacy associated with participation means provided and may ultimately influence whether government actions are considered to genuinely reflect the will of the people. The deliberative democracy framework within the E-Governance Era should support digital and traditional means in which to conduct interactions designed for the purpose of facilitating authentic citizen participation. It is important to note that technological innovation associated with E-Governance is capable of strengthening the deliberative democracy framework, it is presently insufficient as the sole means to facilitate democratic participation.
