Voice/Mail: A New Substack on the Future of Constituent Engagement
POPVOX Foundation is thrilled to announce Voice/Mail, a new Substack from Deputy Director Anne Meeker that explores the fascinating intersection of civic engagement and technology and how government can keep pace to solicit and act on public opinion.
In an era of fast-shifting technology and evolving political landscapes, how do people and their governments actually talk to each other? Voice/Mail dives deep into this question, mapping out the full ecosystem of constituent-Congress communications.
Voice/Mail’s timely debut issue analyzes the TikTok advocacy debacle from both sides: constituent outreach and Congress’ response. Anne frames the episode as illustrative of —
“the deficit between public expectations of how people should be able to interact with, be served by, and affect their government’s decisions and actions, and government’s ability to solicit and integrate dynamic constituent input into governing in a meaningful way.”
On the one hand, the way TikTok leveraged its platform for engagement was a glimpse of what public engagement with Congress could look like. On the other, Congress was clearly not equipped to channel this wave of constituent sentiment. (And in the institution’s defense, this input was genuinely not usable for policymaking.)
Subscribe to Voice/Mail to discover:
Fresh insights into how AI and emerging tech are reshaping democratic participation
Real stories about constituents and their representatives finding new ways to connect
Deep dives into feedback loops in policymaking
Thoughtful analyses of how culture and media shape our view of Congress
Behind-the-scenes looks at the evolution of advocacy and protest
Voice/Mail is for you if you are…
A legislative staffer (or legislator!) frustrated by elements of how you interact with constituents — the great mismatch between expectations, needs, and tools/resources
A constituent or advocate unsatisfied with your current options for making your voice heard with your Members of Congress
A Congressional modernizer wondering why efforts to improve the institution haven’t seemed to move the needle on public trust
A pro-democracy advocate
A democracy innovator thinking through use cases for emerging technology and their potential impacts
A futurist thinking about where democracy goes in the next decades
A concerned citizen
A super government nerd
Subscribe to Voice/Mail today at voicemailgov.substack.com.
