Paper #4: Constituent Engagement

In your last paper for this course, I want you to discuss how a government official should communicate with their constituents, and investigate and assess how well or poorly your House member engages with the people in your district.

• First, read this summary of constituent engagement recommendations discussed in The Fulcrum.
• Second, review this list of social media best practices.

Using these recommendations and best practices as a measuring sick, review your congressperson’s social media presence (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram), as well as their website to analyze their communications practices.

• If you were the social media advisor to your congressperson, how would you rate their work so far?  Do they violate any of the best practices or recommendations?
• Does your House member hold any in-person town halls or other opportunities for face-to-face constituent engagement?  See their websites for “news” or “events.”  When was the last one? 
• Would you recommend any changes to their communications practices?  What can they do to try to reach out to their constituents beyond what they are currently doing?

All papers must be at least 2-3 double-spaced pages in length and must include an introduction (telling the reader the purpose of the paper) and a conclusion. Papers must include citations to all sources used (please consult the Academic Integrity tutorial for how to properly cite sources).    Please submit papers in the proper formats – and note that PAGES documents do not work on Blackboard!