A leaked Supreme Court opinion suggests that Roe v. Wade may be overturned this summer, forthrightly moving abortion policymaking to the states. The states have played an important role in bringing about the decision, setting the stage for the fights to come. Now abortion bills are moving from symbolic politics to real consequences. On this episode of "The Science of Politics" Rebecca Kreitzer discusses her long work on abortion politics, including the role of women representatives, interest groups, and public opinion, helping us understand how we got here and prepare for what’s to come.
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Meet the Faces of Democracy: Isaac Cramer
Jul 18, 2024
Minkin is a research associate at Issue One. Van Voorhis is a research intern at Issue One.
More than 10,000 officials across the country run U.S. elections. This interview is part of a series highlighting the election heroes who are the faces of democracy.
South Carolinian Isaac Cramer developed a passion for politics and elections at a young age, witnessing his mother cast her first vote after achieving her long-standing dream of American citizenship. He joined the Charleston County Board of Voter Registration and Elections in 2014 and began serving as its executive director in March 2021. He oversees election administration for more than 300,000 registered voters in South Carolina’s third most populous county. Charleston spans along the state’s southern coast and shares a name with the largest city in the state, where Cramer resides.
Cramer, who is not affiliated with any political party, has received prestigious honors for his extensive efforts to reform election administration and ensure elections are fair and secure. He earned a Clearinghouse Award from the Election Assistance Commission in 2022 and the J. Mitchell Graham Memorial Award from the South Carolina Association of Counties in 2023. He is also a two-time recipient of the state’s Carolina’s Excellence in Elections award. Earlier this summer, he was appointed president of the South Carolina Association of Registration and Election Officials.
In March 2024, Cramer testified before the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, advocating for more robust and regular federal funding for election administration. Approaching the 2024 presidential election, he is particularly concerned about the high turnover rate of election officials, both in South Carolina and across the country, and about recruiting enough poll workers to help run elections.
Prior to his work at the county board of elections, Cramer studied political science and enjoyed various sports announcer positions at Wheaton College. He later served as an executive coordinator in the Indiana attorney general’s office. Since January 2024, he has been part of Issue One’s Faces of Democracy campaign, advocating for protections for election workers and for regular, predictable and sufficient federal funding of elections.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Issue One: How did you end up in this profession?
Isaac Cramer: In college, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in government and politics. I had been on the other side of politics working on campaigns. After running some campaigns and relocating for my wife, I was at a crossroads in my career. I saw a job posting for the board of elections, so I applied and got the job. In my first role, I got a taste of what it was like on the other side of an election, rather than being the person trying to get someone elected.
IO: What part of the election administration story in South Carolina do you think is not told or widely understood enough?
IC: In South Carolina, our election infrastructure is aging across the state. A lot of counties are struggling with the buildings they conduct their business in. The aging infrastructure has resulted in needs not being met and created some challenges. As we go into the future, resources will be needed for the local counties for conducting those elections.
Another is that we have had over 80 percent turnover among the election directors in South Carolina since 2020. There are a lot of new people in the role — maybe not necessarily new to elections, but new to a leadership role, which entails overseeing the election process from A to Z and being responsible for all of it. These stories are starting to come out more and more, but they are not sounding the alarm bells enough right now.
I am the president of the South Carolina Association of Registration and Election Officials, and one of my goals is to develop training for directors — not just how elections are conducted, but also the leadership, relational and communication skills that are needed in the role.
IO: In your job, how are you working to bring more transparency to the world of election administration?
IC: Transparency with security is a difficult balance. It is important to strike that balance and make sure we have secure processes and procedures while also talking to the public about how elections are run on the day to day.
Specifically in Charleston County, we invite community leaders in, we show them the process, and we talk to them. We launched a voter ambassador program to equip members of our community with the correct information so then they can go and talk to their friends, their neighbors, their churches, their civic groups about how elections are run. We empower people to be our voice.
IO: In the United States, election administration is not centralized, so 50 states have 50 different election administration systems. What are the key features or nuances of the system in South Carolina?
IC: The way that elections are run in a unique-though-sometimes-similar way across states makes our system great.
In South Carolina, each county has a board of elections. These range from five to nine members who are appointed by a legislative delegation with approval from the governor. Then, they appoint the executive director of each county. The county is responsible for conducting their respective elections.
The State Election Commission is the entity that oversees elections. We do not have a secretary of state that does that. The state commission also has a board and an executive director who is hired by the board, and the South Carolina Senate confirms that appointment.
Even though elections are run at the county level, the state has a supervisory role of policies and procedures, making sure the counties are being supported and that there is a standardized process. In South Carolina, we have a uniform system. No matter what county you go to, we have the same exact voting equipment and same voter registration system.
IO: How many voters are registered in your jurisdiction, and what are the main challenges of a jurisdiction of that size?
IC: We have over 320,000 registered voters, and one of the challenges of Charleston County specifically is that we have a lot of water around us. We have bridges, including draw bridges that get put up for a long time. For example, in James Island, one of our head poll workers got stuck trying to get to the office because the bridge was up. We are a very long county, with very rural parts and very urban and suburban parts. And there are islands. So that is very difficult, especially with hurricane season in October and November. We are prepared for what would happen in a hurricane situation in a November election.
Another challenge is making sure that we are serving voters in all areas of the county and not just focusing on where the population centers are. It is a challenge because we may not be able to have early voting in a certain part of the county if there is no suitable location or polling place. And we need to be ADA accessible for our voters, especially in the rural areas where there is not a lot of infrastructure.
Another challenge is our growing population. We have people who are coming from different backgrounds and are from out of state. You have to educate these new residents on how to vote and how to register to vote.
IO: You helped launch the “Adopt a Polling Location” program in Charleston County. Could you speak to what sparked the idea of creating such a program? And what has the impact of this program been in recruiting poll workers?
IC: Poll workers are the lifeblood of elections. We couldn't conduct elections without them. We are precinct-based in South Carolina, and we predominantly vote in person. In an in-person voting model, you need to have poll workers. We rely on close to 2,000 poll workers in a presidential election. In Charleston County, we are always looking for people to work. It seems like we never have enough poll workers.
I am focused on recruiting people who have never served as a poll worker before, people who are civically minded. These are the first people to volunteer at a food bank, the first people to do a neighborhood cleanup, to help organize a bake sale. The “Adopt a Polling Location” program fits right into serving the community.
I first learned about this program in Florida. A jurisdiction did it very well, so I called them to learn about the program, and I pitched it to our county. The essence is you find civically minded people who want to give back. They are not necessarily in it for the poll worker pay of $200. They want to actually give back to the community. One example of this is when we partnered with a local wrestling program that used this as a fundraiser for their team to buy jerseys and to fund their tournament travels. They told me that they look forward to every election because it helps them make their mark for fundraising instead of having to sell 5,000 brownies.
We also saw success with the local food bank and a couple other organizations that are very invested in Charleston County. We got the Stingrays, our local minor league hockey team, to all volunteer at a location. The mascot showed up with some players and the high fived the voters at that polling place, and it was just great. It was a great experience to have a hockey team at the polling place, the mascot, and people giving back. It was just a great environment for voters to see that voting is more than just casting your ballot. It is about the people that are around you. It is about exercising that civic responsibility you have to make your voice heard.
IO: Your office has partnered with Vet the Vote to recruit veterans as poll workers. What inspired you to seek out such a partnership, and what successes have you seen already?
IC: I previously worked for the adjutant general of South Carolina, and I saw firsthand the experience of servicemen and women who come back — the pain, the hardship, the tears. When I began working on the other side of the government, we launched “Vote in Honor of a Veteran,” and I introduced a new component, called “Your Vote, Our Veterans.” We had veterans go into local classrooms and teach students why voting is important and to make the connection to the sacrifice and service of those who have served to ensure we have that right to vote.
Fast forward to this year, I knew that we would need poll workers, so I drew back on the experience I had of seeing the men and women in uniform who have served their country. Finding an organization like Vet the Vote, that is inspired to bring in veterans to serve as poll workers, felt like a natural fit in Charleston County since we have a lot of military families.
We had some veterans who worked early voting for us who wore their hat or their shirt, and we got some of their testimonials before the program was even launched. One veteran, named Curtis shared a story about how every time he has his veteran hat on, people always come up and thank him for his service.
We used that connection point to launch “Operation Civic Duty.” Out of that, we realized we already have a lot of veterans who serve as poll workers, and they were so excited to recruit their friends, their neighbors, and the people they know. My hope is that we can get at least 50 veterans for the November election who have never served as a poll worker before.
IO: Many people are surprised to learn that the federal government doesn’t routinely fund the costs of running elections. Why do you think the federal government should routinely contribute to election administration costs?
IC: First, we conduct elections for federal offices. Every other entity that we conduct elections for pays for that responsibility. The state government reimburses counties for some of that cost. When we have municipal elections, the same thing. But what drives voters to the ballot box is the office of president. Voter turnout is highest during presidential election years. The No. 1 office is president. Then congressional races. On our ballots, they get the prime real estate. That is what people are showing up for. We have an increased number of people coming to polling locations and an increased amount of ballots that are being printed, and the security levels go through the roof. We anticipate that there will be threats in the upcoming election. There will be instances where things could turn to a protest. We just want to be prepared for that. Giving counties and municipalities the tools and money to be successful is important.
Also if the concern out of Washington, D.C., on both sides of the aisle is security of election infrastructure — security of our polling places and security of the vote — then we need to put our money where our priorities are. Supporting election administration is vital to the health of the United States of America.
We need to fund elections from the federal level because a lot of these smaller counties and jurisdictions may not have the resources necessary to secure their infrastructure. They may not have the ability to purchase new voting equipment because it is very expensive and their tax base is small. I am appreciative that there was $55 million in appropriations [passed by Congress earlier this year for election administration in all 50 states], but we need more. We need more to be successful.
IO: What is the price tag of running an election in your jurisdiction?
IC: I want to be very clear that we do not get adequate funding through our state either. The state legislature, through the budget process, allocates money to the State Election Commission, who then reimburses the counties for certain election expenses, not all expenses. We look to them for reimbursements for ballots, part of our poll worker pay, part of our early voting pay, and notices that we publish, but the county is on the hook for everything else that exceeds the minimum rate. For this presidential election coming up, I believe it is going to probably cost over $2 million between all the poll worker pay and ballot deliveries. We may get about $400,000 or $500,000 in reimbursement, and these are rough ballpark figures.
IO: If your jurisdiction had extra funding, how would you spend it?
IC: The grants that were given by nongovernmental organizations in 2020 were a lifesaver. We were able to purchase things that we could never purchase before that were critical to the success of our elections. We purchased a mail opener, which basically scans every ballot and takes an image, bringing more security to the voting process. We were able to have all our ballots done by midnight, which is unheard of. We were also able to better engage with our community and purchase supplies that we would not otherwise have been able to.
If I had that type of investment again, the number one priority would be security. There are some really awesome products out there that would give us RFID [radio frequency identification] or GPS tracking on every piece of equipment that leaves the building. We would probably put gates around our facility. We would invest in more technology for ballot tracking.
We would also invest in more training opportunities for poll workers and staff, and increase poll worker pay. During the pandemic, poll worker pay was $400, while the normal pay is $200. When that was the case, we got people who were never poll workers before who were willing to take a day off of work.
Finally, a goal of mine is to increase community engagement. If we had unlimited funds, I would hire a team of people to engage with the community. The more people that you are engaging with, the more the community can see and know the people actually conducting elections. There are so many opportunities, but a lot of it requires money.
IO: In recent years, election-related misconceptions, conspiracy theories, and lies have proliferated. How has this impacted your daily work?
IC: The biggest thing we saw in 2022 was that we had poll watchers who were harassing our poll workers on Election Day. There was a threat made on social media. Out of that movement, we have had a tremendous number of FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] requests. We’re just inundated with FOIA requests, and a lot of time has been taken away from us in order to dig out records and get legal advice.
The climate has changed so much. Poll workers do not want to mess up — they never wanted to mess up — but now they feel that every movement they make is under a microscope. If they look at somebody funny, if they do something that apparently is not in the playbook for a group that is observing, they worry they’re going to get in big trouble. That is not how it should be.
I remember when I first came into this job, poll workers and everyone always talked about how going to vote was like a big reunion. You saw your neighbors. You saw your friends. You saw your family. You saw the poll workers who had been working there for 10 years. Everyone knew each other. Now, it is not the same at all. You have people coming in who are just looking for what is wrong.
The distrust that has been sowed is now affecting the people who are working and is why we have lost people who don’t want to deal with it. I’ve heard them say, “I am retired, why do I need to stress out and have somebody think I am part of a mass conspiracy?”
We used to have public tests [of voting equipment] where nobody would show up. I want people to come see public tests for transparency. We used to never have anyone show up because it is like watching paint dry and nobody cared. Now, people show up with a binder and a list, asking questions that have nothing to do with the public test. They are coming with accusations like we are committing fraud.
IO: Given all these challenges, what inspires you to stay in this line of work?
IC: I am a son of an immigrant. My mom came here to visit, fell in love with the country, and became a U.S. citizen. I got to see my mom vote for the first time when I was a young kid. I have a sister who has special needs, and I have always known that I wanted to do meaningful work that has an impact on people's lives and be a voice for people who may not have a voice. What better role to do that? I am in charge of the avenue by which people exercise their right to vote to make sure their voice is heard. I am inspired by people's stories and ensuring that we give people the best voting experience while following the law.
I am very customer service based. I really want to serve people and make sure that we are doing a good job, to give them the best voting experience. There are so many people who died for the right to vote, who marched, and who sacrificed. We know many people who have wanted to come here for a better way of life, and I am part of that story.
Innovative ideas also keep me going. One idea that we are actually about to launch this summer is a children's book about the importance of voting. The bigger message is that it is okay to have differences of opinions, but voting is still important. It is one of those things that make me really love my job, being able to bring innovation in and reach all people regardless of where they are and their age.
I always remind myself of these things when it gets super stressful or when I have somebody who has a camera in my face trying to sow doubt in our election system.
IO: Outside of being passionate about running safe and secure elections, what are your hobbies, or what is a fun fact that most people might not know about you?
IC: I love sports. I grew up the biggest Yankees and Jets fan. I love watching baseball, playing baseball, and golfing. I also love going to the beach and spending time with my family. I have two very young kids. Watching them grow is so rewarding and amazing.
A fun fact is that I am half Brazilian and speak Portuguese. I also love Taylor Swift, and I actually went to Zurich, Switzerland, to see her.
IO: What is your favorite book or movie?
IC: I love chick flicks. Romantic comedies are my jam. I am also a big John Grisham fan. I love lawyer type novels.
IO: Which historical figure would you have most liked to have had an opportunity to meet?
IC: If it could be anybody, it would be pretty sweet to walk the earth with Jesus. I’d especially love to learn how to serve people.
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Violence lives in all of us
Jul 15, 2024
Molineaux is the lead catalyst for American Future, a research project that discovers what Americans prefer for their personal future lives. The research informs community planners with grassroots community preferences. Previously, Molineaux was the president/CEO of The Bridge Alliance.
Whenever we or our loved ones are harmed, it is our human tendency to seek vengeance. Violence begets violence. Violent words lead to violent actions, as we’ve witnessed in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
The violence of the gunman is his alone.
Our response to violence is about us.
I confess that when I first heard the news, I experienced two seconds of satisfaction that Trump, the man who has used violent rhetoric, was reaping what he sowed. The next moment brought up dread that more violence would follow, blame would be cast upon President Joe Biden.
My third thought was more measured and reflective. What was my role in the increasing levels of societal violence? Others will quote polls about our willingness to use violence to achieve political aims. Others will quote statistics about gun access and gun violence. These statistics are conceptual tools to measure what individuals think about and care about most. Being statistics, most of us will exclude ourselves from the findings. We believe we are better than what the statistics show.
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We should take a second look. What do we have the power to change? That would be ourselves.
We can let go of our initial responses to hearing the news about the attempted assassination, letting these thoughts pass through our system without attaching any meaning. They are our unfiltered and unconsidered thoughts. We can choose a more reasoned and humane thought that is actionable. Thoughts like:
- How am I increasingly open to violence?
- What have I posted on social media lately?
- How am I speaking with my friends who are deeply committed to their candidate?
Our self-image may be peace, diplomacy and compassion. We may have the self-image of a warrior, protecting others. We may consider ourselves “above the fray.” There are endless self-images we adopt.
Regardless of our chosen or unconscious self-image, we can practice acts of kindness towards others. It is a step towards non-violence that doesn’t threaten our self-image as peaceful people. It calls us towards more peaceful action. Kindness pulls us toward each other, as citizens.
When we squabble and fight amongst ourselves, we grow mean and harden our hearts to each other. Our tone grows sharp and biting. In these moments of stress, we are not peaceful or diplomatic or compassionate or protective or above the fray. We are RIGHT and they are WRONG.
This self-righteous response is low-level emotional violence. If allowed to remain, it will root deeply and present itself as arrogance and condescension towards others. Justified in violent words. If it grows, actions may follow.
Violence is a response to feeling powerless. During our never-ending campaigns, we citizens are told we have power, at the same time the campaign experts and PACs seek to manipulate us to do their bidding. Vote for “our chosen” candidate or don’t vote at all. Tactics of demoralization or obstacle building are rampant. So are get-out-the-vote efforts to overcome dissuasion tactics. We never quite know if what we think are our own thoughts. And we could never admit to being influenced by the campaigns at all, so these efforts go unaddressed.
Add in conflict profiteers, whose business is based on self-righteousness (they and their listeners are RIGHT!) with permission for violent rhetoric and it is inevitable that violent acts will follow. People who listen to conflict profiteers, be they mainstream media or YouTubers, slowly brainwash themselves into violence as acceptable action. Conflict profiteers are banking on us losing sight of our shared humanity.
Let us begin anew on a peaceful path. Commit to rooting out violence from yourself. It’s the only place to start.
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The best bosses in an unusual work environment: Capitol Hill
Jul 10, 2024
Fitch is the president and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation and a former congressional staffer.
Our nation’s capital is known for many things — but good management practices are not among them. Stories regularly surface of bizarre tales of harassment and abuse by members of Congress. An Instagram feed a few years ago unearthed dozens of stories by staff outing less-than-desirable managers and members for their bad practices. But what about the good leaders and good managers?
Like any profession, Congress actually has quite a few exemplary office leaders. And the beneficiaries of these role models are not just their staff — it’s also their constituents. When a congressional office can retain great talent, sometimes over decades, the quality of the final legislative product or constituent service rises immensely.
Two members of Congress who exemplify this quality are the winners of the 2024 Congressional Management Foundation’s Democracy Award for Workplace Environment — the “Life in Congress Award.”
The Democratic winner, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (Ill.), has a saying she repeats to her team: “What’s the point in working for a senator’s office if you can’t work to improve things you care about?” She’s passionate about hiring staff with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences because she truly values hearing about issues and solutions from as many perspectives as possible. She also knows that if her staff succeeds, the state of Illinois and her constituents will succeed as well. To that end, the office hosts yearly staff retreats and conducts quarterly formal check-ins for staff to connect and communicate with their supervisors. The office set up a novel year-long mentorship program that includes matching a new staffer with a longer-tenured employee for confidential advice and guidance. The program also provides formal training and monthly group check-ins.
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The office boasts a “passion projects” initiative, which encourages staffers to spend time on projects they are passionate about regardless of their portfolio. Additionally, the office has a dedicated staff member who leads a diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility committee, which hosts “lunch and learns” with guest speakers and helps ensure that the office and the senator herself are approaching their work through a DEIA lens. The Duckworth has also worked hard to make sure that staff who are caregivers for family members feel supported, as she is always cognizant of the pressures staff in similar circumstances to hers are facing.
The Republican winner, Rep. Don Bacon (Neb.), operates his office with the understanding that if you put your people first and empower them, they will put the mission first. His office offers benefits include a flexible telework policy, compensatory time off and three office-sanctioned fitness breaks per week. The office has the best staff retention rate and the smallest turnover index number in the entire Nebraska delegation, and 11 staff members have served since Bacon’s first term over seven years ago.
The ability to focus on the mission in an open-door and collaborative environment is one of the primary reasons that the congressman also was recognized by the Center for Effective Lawmaking as the most effective Republican House member in the previous Congress — and why he is a previous Democracy Award winner (for the best constituent services). At any given point, there are almost always staff members enrolled in educational programs at the graduate level. In addition, the office frequently helps staff members get accepted into various fellowship programs. The office staff work with interns on actual legislative matters and the robust internship program also includes multiple one-day field trips, hosted by the chief of staff, to locations such as the National War College and Annapolis for the purposes of gaining a broader understanding of the history of American government and its various departments.
Probably one of the most amazing anecdotes about the Bacon office stemmed from one of staffer’s brush with death. Suffering from a rare disease, the staffer needed a new liver. Four of his office colleagues (including Bacon) offered to donate. That kind of esprit de corps doesn’t happen by accident, and the intentionality of Bacon and his team to create the best work environment results in a better workforce and better results for his constituents.
It may be hard to connect a well-run government office with tangible benefits for constituents, but I can attest to seeing first-hand accounts of this happening daily, especially during the pandemic. When constituents badly needed services, some facing nearly life-and-death choices, the seasoned, well-run congressional offices delivered, making a huge difference for the people they serve.
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Some leaders don’t want to be held accountable. These two expect it.
Jul 09, 2024
Fitch is president and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation and a former congressional staffer.
There is probably no more important concept in the compact between elected officials and those who elect them than accountability. One of the founding principles of American democracy is that members of Congress are ultimately accountable to their constituents, both politically and morally. Most members of Congress get this, but how they demonstrate and implement that concept varies. The two winners of the Congressional Management Foundation’s Democracy Award for Constituent Accountability and Accessibility clearly understand and excel at this concept.
The office of Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) seems to genuinely believe the best ideas come from those he serves and as such has embedded policies and practices throughout his office to maximize constituent engagement. The office has cultivated a culture of excellence and continuous improvement that is supported by formal procedures. The team actively seeks opportunities to translate constituent problems into legislative solutions. They also seek ways to demonstrate accountability by integrating constituent ideas and concerns into their letters to congressional colleagues and testimony at legislative hearings, as well as formal legislation.
The congressman’s voting record is displayed on his website and the rationale for each vote is explained in his weekly newsletter. He held approximately 100 in-person or tele-town hall meetings in 2023. Bilirakis hosts one tele-townhall each month during which he calls 100,000 constituents in the district, offering them an opportunity to hear from him directly.
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Bilirakis has won Democracy Awards in three categories — two this year, which kind of makes him the Robert Redford of the Democracy Awards.
The Democratic winner for accountability and accessibility is Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA). She and her staff aim to practice “cooperative governing” and “keeping those closest to the pain closest to the power.” This model of governing informs every interaction that the office has with constituents. Pressley leverages every congressional tool available to communicate important updates to her constituents, including a periodical newsletter with updates on her legislative work and upcoming events, and using social media platforms and press interviews to share federal resources.
The office ensures that videos are captioned and photos include alt-text for constituents with hearing and visual impairments, and it is standard practice to use translation options for public community events. In 2023, Pressley held four in-person town halls, quarterly traditional telephone town halls, and at least 50 virtual town halls, roundtables or community meetings. Her office was also one of the first to use direct-to-camera videos and engaging social media graphics to update constituents on legislation, provide resources and solicit feedback.
In addition, all staff are trained on how to identify casework challenges or incoming letters that could be addressed through longer-term legislation, amendments or appropriations requests. Finally, the office has inculcated in the staff a mentality to look for and create access to constituents where barriers could exist. This includes language barriers, physical accessibility issues and even providing child care services at events so parents can attend.
Many members of Congress use some of these methods to demonstrate accountability and accessibility to their constituents. Yet it is the comprehensive combination of many strategies that sets the Bilirakis and Pressley offices apart from their colleagues. Each office has clearly cultivated a culture of openness that is usually met by surprise from a constituent. Americans have become so cynical about Congress that when they get a phone call returned, or are invited to a telephone town hall meeting, they’re shocked. One participant in a telephone town hall meeting said, “It actually made me feel like I had a voice in government.”
These are the types of strategies that more politicians must employ if we are going to strengthen our democratic institutions.
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Surprise: Some great public servants are actually members of Congress
Jul 08, 2024
Fitch is the president and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation and a former congressional staffer.
TheCongressional Management Foundation today announced the winners of the seventh annual Democracy Awards, CMF’s program recognizing non-legislative achievement and performance in congressional offices and by members of Congress. Two members of Congress, one Democrat and one Republican, are recognized in four categories related to their work in Congress.
Americans usually only hear about Congress when something goes wrong. The Democracy Awards shines a light on Congress when it does something right. These members of Congress and their staff deserve recognition for their work to improve accountability in government, modernize their work environments and serve their constituents.
In the Constituent Service category, Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) was recognized for mandating a 24-hour response time to constituent requests for assistance. The office has separate intake and casework manuals and utilizes a shared intake drive that is checked by five staff members throughout the day to expedite processing. The Democratic winner, Rep. Lucy McBath, the first member of Congress from Georgia to win an award, was cited for having a “living casework intake guide” that’s altered quarterly as federal agency processes change and constituent needs fluctuate. The guide includes every step of creating a new case and all questions that need to be asked at intake for each agency with which the office interacts.
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Bilirakis also won in the Constituent Accountability and Accessibility category. CMF staff noted the congressman’s vote record is displayed on his website and the rationale for each vote is explained in his weekly newsletter. Also, Bilirakis held approximately 100 in-person or tele-town hall meetings in 2023. The Democrat winner, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), was recognized for offering diverse language options for constituents to understand services available, and providing child care services at town hall meetings so single parents can attend.
The Republican winner for the Workplace Environment category (known as the “Life in Congress” award), Rep. Don Bacon (Neb.), was cited for his creative workplace policies, including offering a flexible telework policy, compensatory time off, and three office- sanctioned fitness breaks per week. The Bacon office also has the lowest staff turnover in the Nebraska delegation. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (Ill.), the Democratic winner, was noted for a year-long staff mentorship program, which includes matching senior staff with new hires for confidential advice and guidance as well as providing formal training and monthly group check-ins.
For the fourth category, Innovation and Modernization, Rep. Don Davis (N.C.) was the Democratic winner and the only first-term member of Congress to win an award. Davis’ office has increased feedback from meeting with constituents by offering participants a QR code to link directly to feedback forms. Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), the Republican winner, was noted for a novel Senior Fellows Program designed to meet the specific needs of older adults. This program offers a specially tailored orientation and extensive training to accommodate two longer service, six-month terms per year.
The process for selecting the winners was conducted over a six-month period in 2024. House and Senate personal offices self-nominated in early 2024 using an online questionnaire. CMF then followed up with offices to conduct interviews and assess each office's adherence to the established criteria, using a detailed checklist to determine a list of finalists who would advance to the selection committee phase. In June, the committee, composed of former congressional staffers and former members of Congress, selected two winners (one Democrat and one Republican) for each category using the nomination forms, interview notes and supporting material provided by the office.
The founding partner for the Democracy Awards is the Bridge Alliance, which provided a generous grant to launch the program. Bridge Alliance is a diverse coalition of more than 90 organizations committed to revitalizing democratic practice in America. (The Bridge Alliance publishes The Fulcrum.)
The ceremony honoring all finalists and winners will be held on Sept 26.
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