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Witness tells House Administration Committee deliberative tech can reconnect Congress with constituents
Summary
A witness told the House Administration Committee that online deliberative forums and targeted technology could narrow the trust gap between members of Congress and ordinary constituents, citing a 1,000-person survey that found low contact with offices and high participant approval for deliberative town halls.
At a House Administration Committee hearing, a witness urged lawmakers to adopt deliberative online forums and redirected staff time to deepen constituent engagement, citing survey data and international examples.
The witness told the committee they partnered with the panel and House Digital Services to survey 1,000 citizens and found “at best, only 1 in 5 contacted their member last year” and that “only 13% trust Congress to do what's right.” The testimony framed those findings as evidence that silence does not equal satisfaction and that many citizens are frustrated rather than apathetic.
The witness said governments abroad and domestic pilot projects have used new approaches and technology to…
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