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How much impact do these services actually have on elected officials? They know how little effort constituents put into having a text sent on their behalf so th

How much impact do these services actually have on elected officials? They know how little effort constituents put into having a text sent on their behalf so they're probably going to put very little weight on them. Go through the effort of handwriting a letter is going to add quite a bit of weight to your message. If you are unwilling to invest a small bit of time and the cost of a stamp to send a message, why would they think it's very important to you?

skulk 5y ago
> Go through the effort of handwriting a letter is going to add quite a bit of weight to your message. Really? is there even a slight chance that Rep. XYZ actually reads my letter and it doesn't get filtered out by an aide as "spam"? And furthermore, once read does my letter actually hold any weight against moneyed interests? It feels like an utterly futile and pointless exercise to pretend democracy still works.
- 1123581321 5y ago
  OpenGov recently researched this and the results largely backed up conventional wisdom, and suggested a trajectory of change. You night best learn by starting with the findings summary: https://v2v.opengovfoundation.org/summary-of-research-findings-55afbdee80d8 https://v2v.opengovfoundation.org/summary-of-research-findin...
showerst 5y ago
I know at the federal level, pretty much all the reps/senators see compiled reports of all constituent comms, broken down by (issue / stance / method / volume). Either way your message is "just" making it up to the member as a spreadsheet column, but text vs email vs letter might not actually make the difference you think. Some members might see letters as more serious, others might take texts as "oh my younger and more savvy constituents think X." At the state level, this probably varies widely.
- hemloc_io 5y ago
  Hmmm honestly this sounds interesting. I assumed senators and such just played it by ear. Do you have personal experience with how these are calculated or used? Good to know that some reps are actually using data haha.
samtregar3 5y ago
notreallyserio 5y ago
I know if I received tens of thousands of duplicate texts or emails I'd divide the count by 10^n to estimate the real will for change. Or ignore them entirely. This is slacktivism.
- MattGaiser 5y ago
  Precisely. If finding their email address was too much for you, how likely are you to vote?
dylan604 5y ago
Depends on the congress critter probably. Just guessing that as younger individuals are elected to office, responses to digital might become more accepted. Also, take into consideration that the elected person's office is typcially staffed by younger people that are going to be much more inclined to reading a digital message vs and envelope that may or may not include more than just a harshly worded letter.

skulk 5y ago

> Go through the effort of handwriting a letter is going to add quite a bit of weight to your message. Really? is there even a slight chance that Rep. XYZ actually reads my letter and it doesn't get filtered out by an aide as "spam"? And furthermore, once read does my letter actually hold any weight against moneyed interests? It feels like an utterly futile and pointless exercise to pretend democracy still works.

1123581321 5y ago
OpenGov recently researched this and the results largely backed up conventional wisdom, and suggested a trajectory of change. You night best learn by starting with the findings summary: https://v2v.opengovfoundation.org/summary-of-research-findings-55afbdee80d8 https://v2v.opengovfoundation.org/summary-of-research-findin...

showerst 5y ago

I know at the federal level, pretty much all the reps/senators see compiled reports of all constituent comms, broken down by (issue / stance / method / volume). Either way your message is "just" making it up to the member as a spreadsheet column, but text vs email vs letter might not actually make the difference you think. Some members might see letters as more serious, others might take texts as "oh my younger and more savvy constituents think X." At the state level, this probably varies widely.

hemloc_io 5y ago
Hmmm honestly this sounds interesting. I assumed senators and such just played it by ear. Do you have personal experience with how these are calculated or used? Good to know that some reps are actually using data haha.

samtregar3 5y ago

notreallyserio 5y ago

I know if I received tens of thousands of duplicate texts or emails I'd divide the count by 10^n to estimate the real will for change. Or ignore them entirely. This is slacktivism.

MattGaiser 5y ago
Precisely. If finding their email address was too much for you, how likely are you to vote?

dylan604 5y ago

Depends on the congress critter probably. Just guessing that as younger individuals are elected to office, responses to digital might become more accepted. Also, take into consideration that the elected person's office is typcially staffed by younger people that are going to be much more inclined to reading a digital message vs and envelope that may or may not include more than just a harshly worded letter.