Constituent Accountability and Accessibility
Formerly Transparency and Accountability, this award focuses on how the office integrates and respects the concepts of transparency and accountability in government. We would expect to see that an office demonstrates transparency through regular, meaningful, and robust communications to constituents and stakeholders that are designed to keep them informed of the Member's activities and actions in Congress. Additionally, offices would be expected to hold themselves accountable to their constituents by consistently following office protocols and sharing as much information with constituents as is necessary to demonstrate clarity in the Member's activities and goals.
For example:
- Consistently updating the Member's website and social media platforms with relevant information related to the legislator's legislative and representational responsibilities as well as pertinent information regarding safety and testing for COVID-19
- Publicly sharing vote explanations, position statements, schedules, and meetings with constituents on a variety of platforms
- Providing numerous opportunities to interact directly with the legislator at town halls, telephone town halls, social media platforms, summits, and district/state office hours
- General responsiveness to legitimate constituent inquiries
- Holding office and staff accountable by adhering to performance standards
- Quality, amount, and variety (online, in-person, telephone) of town hall meetings