Legislative Dialogues

Web Dialogues and similar network-based communication resources bring new opportunities to policymaking for lawmakers and members of the public. Using these resources lawmakers can:

  • Increase and improve direct communication at the grassroots level including practitioners, subject experts and interested members of the public including students;
  • Hear new ideas, opinions, personal perspectives, and experiences that may differ from the views advocated by representative organizations;
  • Increase the public’s understanding of the issues being discussed in the legislature;
  • Take the "temperature" of constituents on issues affecting them; and
  • Gain critical feedback from practitioners, and others, on the best way to achieve a policy goal, or on the efficacy of a proposal to achieve a policy goal.

Lawmaker Benefits

  • In-depth two-way communication with broader cross-section of constituents
  • A means to quickly engage a community of interest in response to policy proposals and options
  • Feedback within 12 hours or less
  • Builds constituents’ confidence in the political process; participating lawmakers in particular

Public Benefits

  • “This is the first time I have been actively involved in the discussions regarding state policies…very empowering and educational.”
  • "It is much more interactive than a public hearing, you can come in and out at will."
  • 80% would be more involved in the legislative process through similar online dialogues
  • 63% considered new solutions to old problems
  • 57% saw new opportunities for action and considered trade-offs that may be necessary

Participant Views

  • “A means of equal access to elected officials and policy makers for the average citizen.”
  • “It would be helpful to learn how this information was finally utilized and how many policy makers took it further than just a gesture of goodwill.”
  • “I hope these responses will be considered in future legislation. How will we know?”
  • 88% would view more favorably lawmakers who solicit public opinion through similar dialogues
  • 70% thought dialogues would help lawmakers better understand constituents’ views/priorities

Challenges to Initiating Legislative Dialogues

  • Policymakers and staff need to personally experience dialogues in order to understand their power and potential;
  • Securing funding for new activities through external services requires administrative approval in the Legislature. Limited funds, close public scrutiny of services contracts, and basic unfamiliarity with online dialogue make it difficult to support new strategies.

A Legislative Pilot Project

In order address the challenges faced by lawmakers wishing to use new strategies to engage the public WestEd is developing a legislative pilot project that will involve legislators from throughout the country. The goal of the pilot project to create examples of legislative uses of web-based communication to expand communication between lawmakers and members of the public and to identify modifications to the structure and process that will strengthen public engagement and the policymaking process.