Several years ago, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute was invited to join a dozen universities in the United States to promote bipartisan collaboration and productive discourse at the State and local levels.
The Institute developed a plan to strengthen how congressional town hall meetings are conducted in Illinois. Our recommendations outlined ways these meetings could be more informative, civil, respectful, and productive. We sent our ideas to members of the Illinois congressional delegation and received encouraging responses. Then COVID-19 descended in 2020 and disrupted all our lives. In-person town hall meetings seemed ill-advised and unsafe during a pandemic.
Even if COVID-19 had not battered our world, we were aware that in-person town halls are threatened by other pervasive and pernicious diseases in the United States, the rise in political polarization, the decline of civility, and the atrophy of our collective ability as Americans to discuss contentious issues constructively, without rancor, or acrimony.
The twin maladies of COVID-19 and political polarization upended in-person town hall meetings in Illinois and elsewhere.
The institute is not giving up on its conviction that town hall meetings are an important instrument to revive our democracy.
Congressional town hall meetings have been an important feature of America’s culture of representative democracy for more than two centuries. In their ideal form, they allow lawmakers to describe their work at home and in Washington and to listen to the concerns of their constituents. Open and vigorous dialogue benefits policy-makers and the public.
However, the nature of the town hall meeting has changed dramatically in the last decade or so, driven by deepening political polarization and advances in technology, especially the revolution of social media. Both conservative and liberal activist groups often regard town hall meetings as opportunities to confront lawmakers they oppose and create embarrassing moments that can be captured on camera and then disseminated through social media. Even before COVID-19, many in Congress began to hold only virtual town hall meetings in which constituents attended by phone, Internet or Zoom. These meetings are often tightly controlled and often fuel public anger and skepticism about the political process.
Paul Simon powerfully summarized the value of in-person town hall meetings: “It’s one thing to read about the farm problem, much different to talk to flesh-and-blood people whose agony is written on their faces and in what they say,” he wrote. “It’s one thing to know unemployment statistics, another to talk to a mother who is worried about the mental health of her son because he can’t find a job. The people who took time to attend town meetings held in every corner of the State helped me to become a better senator.”
The Institute believes that in-person town hall meetings can again become a constructive part of our political discourse. However, we urge lawmakers and the public to approach them differently. Civility must be the coin of the realm. Town hall meetings should be restructured as listening and learning sessions that center on lawmakers hearing the views of constituents. They should be moderated by a nonpartisan community leader who sets the tone for a respectful discussion. The range of people who attend town halls should be widened so the audience is more diverse and includes both partisans and independents.
There is no magic solution to rescue and revive town hall meetings. Success ultimately depends on the goodwill and respect of both the public and policy-makers.
As we approach Spring 2022, there are cautious reports that the pandemic is easing. Hopefully we can soon contemplate in-person events, albeit with appropriate public health precautions.
I will take it as a good sign about the health of our Nation and our democracy when we can revive town hall meetings that are both safe and civil. It is important to relearn that we can exchange views with public officials and fellow citizens in a spirited and civil way. We are all custodians of a remarkable Country and State, and citizens of the same political community.
John T. Shaw is the director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Shaw’s monthly column explores how Illinois can work toward better politics and smarter government.