Innovation is a buzz word in education, technology, business and now politics. On Tuesday, Rep. Mia Love adapted the traditional town hall format and opted instead to host “open office hours.” In a small conference room, Love met with constituents in groups no larger than 10 for approximately 15 minutes each. For three hours.
Love opted for the new format out of concern for her safety. She pointed to former Rep. Jason Chaffetz’s raucous town hall in February, where more than 20 police were needed to keep order. She said, “I can’t raise Utah’s voice if I can’t hear over the clutter.”
Love has also experienced cars driving slowly by her house, some with occupants taking pictures of her children. Chaffetz had reportedly even received death threats.
While this new format may be less cathartic than yelling at a politician, it seems to be much more productive. The conversational format allows for a more intimate communication experience between Love and her constituents. The format encourages Love to do more than mouth party lines; the participants are able to actually exchange ideas. Some shouting still occurred, but the intimate nature allowed the parties to regain self-control. One particularly loud constituent ended his session by saying he “didn’t mean to be disrespectful.” Love responded that he hadn’t been.
The format still allowed for disagreement, but it dissipated the anger. When you’re talking to a person, as opposed to an object on a stage with a microphone, or a person in a large crowd of hostile constituents, you behave differently. You listen. And that makes a difference.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah meets with constituents during "open office hours" at her West Jordan office, Tuesday August 1, 2017. Love met with constituents in groups no larger than ten people, her alternative to holding a town hall.
Perhaps Love could livestream future chats to ensure more participation. Many people who attend town halls don’t necessarily want to ask questions, but they do want to listen to others’ questions and hear responding answers.
Providing a livestream could pose privacy concerns for constituents who want to discuss personal issues, like medical challenges. Such circumstances would need to be screened prior to recording. But a livestream would allow constituents to judge more than just her answers to questions, reported by news outlets, but also her demeanor, temperament and reaction to controversy or criticism. Such information informs voters about the general temperament and knowledge base of their representative.
Good for Love for meeting with constituents despite the very real safety concerns she faces. It is imperative that our representatives are able to listen to criticism and engage with voters. Love found a way, and could even improve it in the future.