To help facilitate the change, CMF has undertaken a project to: identify the perceptions, expectations, and practices of both sides of congressional communications; provide information to educate and guide congressional offices, citizens, and the grassroots community; promote changes in the attitudes and practices of both sides; and facilitate collaboration and information-sharing that will result in more meaningful and manageable dialogue.

WHAT:           Highlights include:

• Analysis of the impact participation in online town hall meetings had on constituents’ views of their Members of Congress and on their participation in political activities, such as talking about politics and the Member and voting;

• Examination of how participation in online town hall meetings affected constituents’ views of the issue being discussed;

• Information about how the demographics of people attracted to the online town halls differed from those attracted by traditional means of political participation; and;

• Details of how we conducted our rigorous study.

WHO:             The report is the result of the Connecting to Congress project, a research collaboration by the Congressional Management Foundation, the Harvard Kennedy School, Northeastern University, The Ohio State University, and the University of California-Riverside. The project was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and contributions from Harvard’s Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation.

WHEN:           Monday, October 26 at 11:00 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time

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