7/11/2023 0 Comments Citizens voice news today![]() ![]() The address is important, because it can confirm the person is actually a resident of the congressional district. When a constituent calls a congressional office, the staff member answering the phone collects personal information – the caller’s name, their address and why they’re calling. As one staffer explained to me: “They want their voices to be heard, and it’s me entering their info into a database.” But what actually happens is something different. No matter why or how people contact their elected officials, they all want one basic thing: They want someone to listen. I’ve observed that advancements in computer technology are changing how Congress handles citizen communication and uses the data collected from those conversations to represent citizens – for better and for worse. All of it ends up going into databases in their offices.Īs a scholar of technology use in Congress, I’ve interviewed more than 50 staffers in more than 40 congressional offices. Congressional staffers spend hours listening, reading, collecting and organizing all this information. Current staffers say the numbers have climbed even higher since then. The Congressional Management Foundation suggests that most congressional offices saw constituent contact double – or even increase eight-fold – from 2002 to 2010. Their intentions – protesting or supporting a politician or legislative proposal, seeking assistance with the federal bureaucracy or expressing their opinions about current affairs – vary as widely as their means of communication, which include phones, written letters, emails, in-person meetings, town halls, faxes and social media messages. Reports by congressional researchers over the last decade describe an outdated communication system that is struggling to address an overwhelming rise in citizen contact.Įvery day, thousands of people contact their senators and representatives. ![]() Llais can support you to raise a concern and give advice on the most appropriate course of action.Big technology companies like Amazon, Facebook and Google aren’t the only ones facing huge political concerns about using citizen data: So is Congress. Llais is an independent body and its free Advocacy service and can provide information, advice and support to members of the public who may wish to raise a concern. If you need help to raise a concern, Llais – your voice in health and social care can help you do this. Llais will work alongside Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, the local authorities and volunteer organisations to give people across Gwent a say in the planning and delivery of services locally, regionally and nationally and ensure the views of people are represented. Llais (meaning voice in Welsh) has been set up to strengthen the representation of people in health and social care services and empower people to influence and shape services. From 1st April 2023, the former Community Health Councils and the Board of Community Health Councils in Wales were replaced by the new citizens voice body named Llais. ![]()
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