Our ability to communicate openly and honestly with the Members of Congress that represent us is a hallmark of American democracy. However, the current system of engagement is stunted. What was once a well-traveled highway, designed to make two-way trips faster and more convenient, has become a dilapidated, congested thoroughfare that can no longer support the amount of drivers on the road.

Repairs and alternative routes are needed.

Through a grant from the Democracy Fund, the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) is undertaking a project to better understand how constituents engage in 2018, highlight the deficiencies of the current system, and devise and propose alternative methods for effective engagement.

Why Analyze Member-Constituent Engagement?

• Emails to Congress have skyrocketed in the past several years. In one congressional district, the number of communications from constituents sending messages to their House member rose from 9,400 in 2001 to 123,000 in 2017 (This occurred during a time when congressional office budgets were cut).
• The population of the United States has grown considerably over the past several decades, but the number of Members and staffers on the Hill has not. According to the Pew Research Center, the population to member representation ratio has more than tripled – from one representative for every 209,447 people in 1910 to one for every 747,184 as of last year.
• While institutions have adapted to new methods of communication like social media and tele-town halls, offices do not have the ability or the funds to use new technology consistently or effectively. In From Voicemails to Votes, the OpenGov Foundation found that, "The current [engagement] process was designed around postal correspondence and has yet to adapt to new tools people use to engage with their Members of Congress — and vice versa — on the Internet and via social media."
• It's no secret that trust, confidence, and approval of government is declining. A January 2018 NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll  revealed that 71% of Americans have "not very much" or "no confidence" in Congress. Likewise, Pew reports that public trust in government has consistently fallen over the past several decades, save for two bumps during the Gulf War and after 9/11.

(Pew Research Center)

Similarly, congressional job approval hovers below 20%, and hasn't risen above 25% in nine years, according to Gallup's "Congress and the Public."

The news is not all bad. Citizen engagement is rising through increased political activism and swelling voter registration numbers. CMF launched the Democracy Awards  in 2018, recognizing eight Members of Congress and their staff for excellence in areas such as constituent service and innovation. The winners and finalists of the awards demonstrated creative methods for connecting with their constituents. A recently released book, Politics with the People, based on academic research CMF facilitated, demonstrates how deliberative online town halls can yield substantive increased trust between Members and constituents.

Through examining the deficiencies in the current process and proposing alternative vehicles for engagement, CMF's "Member-Constituent Engagement" project has the potential to identify enhanced strategies, practices, and technologies for improving the interactions with citizens and Congress, and possibly pave the way for a smoother, substantive democratic dialogue.