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Democracy is a two-way street. While our elected officials bear the lion’s share of the burden to be transparent and accountable to those they represent, the People who engage Congress have a civic duty, as well.

Paying congressional employees a reasonable salary isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s good management. If an employee is worried about how they can pay bills, buy food, or afford housing, they are going to be less effective at their jobs. Today’s actions by Speaker Nancy Pelosi builds on the recommendations of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress to bring Congress in line with the private sector in terms of pay and working conditions. Establishing a minimum salary threshold, recommended by CMF and other organizations, is a critical step in making the House a better place to work.

Since lawmakers are bound by duty and practice to focus mostly on their own constituents, however, Congress should create other means for the People to engage with Congress in meaningful and thoughtful ways. There are currently few mechanisms for a concern to be raised to Congress except through an individual’s own legislators, who have complete discretion in what issues they pursue.

Like Congress, the associations, nonprofits, and corporations that facilitate grassroots advocacy campaigns to legislators are unwittingly aiding the process of turning constituent contact into data points instead of true engagement.

Though the public image of Congress is as an institution with unlimited resources, the lack of capacity for Congress to perform its role in democracy and the impact that it is having on our practice of democracy is now well-documented. Significant increases in the U.S. population and reductions in Legislative Branch staffing and budget are some of the biggest challenges to congressional capacity.

When our tools for engaging with Congress rely mostly or exclusively on the internet, we leave out voices that need to be represented in public policy. The key is to facilitate the broadest possible inclusion. Modern methods of engagement should strive to ensure that all have equal voice in Congress, regardless of status, wealth, ability, distance, broadband access, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other dimension of difference.

What constitutes effective citizen deliberation and how can Members of Congress use it to better engage their constituents in their decision-making processes?