Impact

Our Impact

Since its founding in 2021, POPVOX Foundation has achieved myriad successes in its ongoing efforts to make government work better for everyone. Working with internal and external stakeholders, it has made gains to:

  • modernize the Congressional workforce and support the recruitment, growth, and retention of capable and experienced staff to ensure Congress has the resources for its legislative, oversight, and implementation responsibilities;

  • strengthen engagement between representatives and constituents;

  • cultivate the next generation of tech-savvy public servants and policy experts;

  • elevate the prominence of Caseworkers as key to restoring Congressional capacity;

  • improve innovation within the Legislative branch; and

  • guide international efforts to adapt legislatures around the world to meet 21st century needs.

POPVOX Foundation has been on the forefront of the bipartisan effort to broadly modernize the Legislative branch, providing research and ideas to policymakers and staff, including on the Committee on House Administration, House Appropriations Committee, the House Rules Committee, the House Oversight Committee, and the Congressional Data Task Force. As a result, the work of the hugely successful Select Committee on Modernization (or “ModCom”) lives on as a permanent Subcommittee in the Committee on House Administration, thanks in part to encouragement from POPVOX Foundation and our “Fix Congress” allies.

Congressional Workforce Modernization

Congress needs a modern workforce to ensure it has the bandwidth and acuity to govern effectively. POPVOX Foundation is supporting new infrastructure to grow and expand the pipeline of those who work in Congress — starting from entry-level positions — to make it more representative of the American people. It likewise is driving the public conversation and educating Congress on how to recruit and retain qualified staff committed to remaining in public service.

POPVOX Foundation is helping Congress transform itself into a more productive and fair workplace by promoting policies that improve Congressional staff and intern pay and new initiatives like the House Intern Resource Office and the Chief Administrative Officer’s Career Paths program.

Today’s interns are tomorrow's staffers, and today’s staffers may be tomorrow’s Members of Congress. POPVOX Foundation incubates innovative programs like Internapalooza to model how Congress can nurture early-career pathways into Congressional service. After hosting nine Internapalooza gatherings over the past few years, Congressional intern orientation became a key element of the newly formed House Intern Resource Office in 2024, successfully sunsetting outside efforts with the institutional adoption of official orientation and networking events to help incoming interns start their semester off right with a level playing field and new connections.

The Senate would likewise benefit from a Senate Intern Resource Office to provide support services, such as training and professional development, to Congressional interns as well as act as a resource hub for Standing Committees, Leadership Offices, and Senate offices.

These workforce changes have the potential to greatly improve constituent services and policy development and oversight.

Cultivating NextGen Leaders

POPVOX Foundation fellowship programs prepare future leaders while developing technological solutions to increase technical capacity in the Legislative branch and improve public engagement.

The Cyber Policy Leadership Institute collaboration with CrowdStrike and Advocacy Blueprints bridges the representation gap in cybersecurity policy by helping students from historically marginalized groups become cyber policy leaders.

The Congressional Modernization Fellowship in partnership with the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy enables graduate-level students to work with Congressional offices on technology solutions to improve Congressional workflows and efficiency.

Students from Northeastern University's Burnes Center for Social Change whom POPVOX Foundation mentored developed CivicConnect, what may be the first Congressional office chatbot prototype aimed at improving constituent-representative engagement, that leverages OpenAI’s GPT-4 model.

Congressional Casework

POPVOX Foundation has been at the forefront of research and modernization efforts around Congressional casework and raising awareness about how Congressional caseworkers can help Congress improve its capacity. Its Casework Navigator program provides resources to support caseworkers and elevate casework expertise as a vital component of Congress’ oversight responsibility.

In its “American Ingenuity” report, POPVOX Foundation raised the public profile of the Congressional caseworkers who helped thousands of Americans and allies safely evacuate Afghanistan after the US withdrawal in 2021. The report and an accompanying Capitol Hill panel demonstrated the efficiency, effectiveness, and resilience of these hardworking Congressional staff while amplifying the call to provide them with:

  • specific mental health support to mitigate the risks associated with work with traumatized populations

  • a nonpartisan Casework Liaison Office to support casework and casework staff to promote the House’s ability to provide excellent constituent services

  • funding for the House Digital Services’ Data Aggregator Pilot to provide Congress with a real-time overview of constituent problems with federal agencies based on inquiries made to caseworkers. This tool was recommended by the Select Committee on Modernization and would be invaluable for casework teams and for oversight activities, which is why POPVOX Foundation supports its development.

POPVOX Foundation Deputy Director Anne Meeker also previously testified to the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress on constituent services, has made the case to House and Senate appropriators to strengthen Congress’ ability to provide excellent constituent services to the American people, and has written extensively on Congressional casework and pathways for modernization.

Sparking Innovation

POPVOX Foundation leads the charge on Capitol Hill to address the “pacing problem,” the gap between legislators and the growing speed at which technology and society are changing.

Its educational outreach to Congress is yielding innovation and strategic experimentation with artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. For one, the US Congress is ahead of the curve compared to legislatures around the world when it comes to responsible adoption of generative AI, progress POPVOX Foundation has amplified in the mainstream and Beltway media and through its “Representative Bodies in the AI Era” report which has global reach.

POPVOX Foundation has also successfully encouraged the Legislative branch with innovations including:

  • The creation and growth of of the House Digital Services team

  • Policy guidance for de-risking staff exploration of how AI can enhance their productivity that the House and Senate both proactively established

  • Voluntary AI working groups in both chambers empowering Congressional staff to safely explore new tools

  • The Committee on House Administration’s “flash reports” to publicly share AI progress and policies

  • The Government Accountability Office Innovation Lab’s work to leverage large language models internally

Global Reach

Engaging international partners is a key element of POPVOX Foundation's work. From its early days, the Foundation has demonstrated a commitment to global engagement. From hosting international witnesses in "mock remote hearings" during the COVID-19 pandemic to sharing case studies from around the globe on approaches to generative artificial intelligence in the legislative workflow, POPVOX Foundation understands that we all benefit from sharing different approaches, lessons, and examples. This spirit of international collaboration has only grown stronger over time.

Senior fellow, Dr. Beatriz Rey, leads the “Comparative Legislative Strengthening Project,” which translates lessons from US Congressional modernization efforts to an international audience while also highlighting global parliamentary insights for US Members and staffers. 

POPVOX Foundation has been at the forefront of exploring AI's role in parliaments, collaborating with international partners such as the Westminster Foundation on Democracy, Hellenic OCR, and Bússola Tech. In January 2022, the Foundation released its first Representative Bodies in the AI Era report, providing a comprehensive overview of international AI deployments in legislative settings. This work has garnered global attention, citations, and collaborations such as a joint submission of evidence to the UK House of Commons on AI's potential impact on legislative transparency.

The Foundation's team actively participates in international delegations and parliamentary visits. Notable engagements include a February 2023 solidarity trip to Brasilia, Brazil, marking the reopening of their Congress after the January 2023 attack, and one to Buenos Aires in October 2024 to observe the Argentine election. POPVOX Foundation Fellow Katherine Long participated in a National Democratic Institute delegation to Armenia to share insights on legislative casework. And Senior Fellow Nicole Tisdale has joined international delegations to Colombia, Brazil, and Chile. These visits provide valuable opportunities for cross-cultural learning and sharing of best practices in legislative processes.

POPVOX Foundation's global presence is further reinforced through participation in international conferences. In 2024, team members have presented at events such as The Impacts of Civic Technology in London, UK, the Workshop on Parliamentary Research and Practice in Wroxton, UK, and the Workshop on Deliberative Technology in Polarized Contexts at the University of Notre Dame. The Foundation has also shared insights at the International Workshop of Academics and Parliamentarians with Austral University in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In June 2024, POPVOX Foundation launched the Modern Parliament (“ModParl”) newsletter, a platform for highlighting parliamentary modernization lessons from around the world. This initiative underscores the Foundation’s commitment to fostering global dialogue on legislative innovation. Looking ahead, the organization is collaborating with the Center for Policy Analysis in Uganda to host the Inaugural Africa Regional Conference on Parliament and Legislation (AFRIPAL) in June 2025. Additionally, we are developing training materials on AI in Parliaments specifically tailored for African Members of Parliament.

The Foundation’s global engagement extends to ongoing participation in parliamentary lesson-sharing through renowned organizations like the House Democracy Partnership, National Democratic Institute, International Republican Institute, and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. Director of Government Innovation Aubrey Wilson’s selection as a 2024 US fellow with the Bertelsmann Foundation further exemplifies the organization’s international recognition and influence.

Through these varied and impactful initiatives, POPVOX Foundation continues to expand its global reach, fostering international cooperation and knowledge exchange in the critical areas of legislative modernization and civic technology. This commitment to global engagement ensures that the Foundation remains at the forefront of innovative practices in strengthening democratic institutions worldwide.