Town hall meetings -- giving citizens a voice

Reps. Roger Goodman and Larry Springer
taking citizen questions at a town hall
meeting in Kirkland City Hall.

You may have participated in a town hall meeting via telephone.

Town hall meetings with lawmakers now happen in person, over the phone or through the web. People are also using email, Twitter, Facebook and other tools to have a dialogue with their local lawmakers.

This is a new twist on an old idea: bringing citizens together to discuss issues -- or decide things.

Typically, you hear the phrase "New England-style town hall meeting." It's true that small towns in New Hampshire, Vermont and elsewhere holding town hall meetings more than 300 years ago. Every citizen got the chance to talk, debate and vote on issues.

Yet this idea goes back even longer.

It's inspired by the ancient democracy in Athens and the notion that every citizen should have a say. The Swiss towns of Glarus and Appenzell have been Langsgemeinde -- town hall meetings -- for 700 years.

Lawmakers in the House and Senate, from both parties, are embracing modern twists on this old idea. Technology may be improving it. But the notion behind it, that every citizen counts, is as strong as ever.

Rep. Hans Dunshee will be calling constituents in the 44th Legislative District on May 7 at 6PM to host a tele-town hall.

Rep. Tami Green will be hosting her own tele-town hall for the people of the 28th Legislative District on May 9 at 6PM.

Seaquist hosting final telephone town hall Wednesday

Residents of the 26th Legislative District may be getting a call from their state representative tomorrow. Rep. Larry Seaquist will be hosting his final telephone town hall forum of 2012 on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

While telephone town halls are not designed to replace in-person meetings, they provide a cost-efficient forum for legislators to connect with and hear from their neighbors. Participants will get an update on how the 2012 legislative session ended and what’s in store for higher education down the road. Participants will also have opportunities to ask questions to Rep. Seaquist during the hour-long call.

Registered voters within these districts will be called when the telephone town halls begin. Those that do not receive a call and would like to participate can call 1-877-229-8493 and enter the ID code “18646.”

To read this post in Spanish, click here.

Lawmaker reaching out to keep in touch with citizens

Heads up, good people of the 49th Legislative District. Tuesday night, May 1: Put your lucky pants or pantsuit on, set the dog/cat up with a good chew toy, and keep your phone handy. Thousands of folks in Vancouver and the surrounding Clark County communities are encouraged to join in the civic fun of a Telephone Town Hall.

That's right. You read right. State Rep. Jim Moeller is hosting an hour-long tele-forum that evening from 6 to 7. Moeller and the 146 other lawmakers just recently wrapped up the 2012 legislative session. The May 1 event is a grand chance for citizens to engage Moeller in a frank conversation about what in the world is going on in the state of Washington.

Shortly before 6 o’clock the night of May 1, thousands of 49th District citizens will receive telephone calls inviting them to stay on the line and participate in the tele-Town Hall. People who want to join in will be given simple, down-to-earth instructions on what to do. Oh, wait! What if you're a 49th Legislative District resident and you want to join in but you don't get the call between 5:45 and 6 Tuesday night, May 1? In that case, simply call this toll-free telephone number directly, 1-877-229-8493, and then enter PIN code No. 18646 when prompted. And you'll be in!

Moeller emphasized that citizens should always feel free to contact him whenever they want to ask a question and/or share an opinion.

Probst hosts tele-town hall

Rep. Tim Probst from the 17^th Legislative District in Vancouver will host a telephone town hall 6-7 p.m. Wednesday, April 25. He looks forward to a live conversation with his constituents about the issues that matter most to the district and the state.

Under the telephone town hall format, thousands of constituents will receive automatically generated telephone calls to their homes in the 17^th Legislative District just before 6 p.m. Wednesday. The constituents may ask questions for Rep. Probst to answer by pressing *3 on their phones during the call, and they may listen to the live conversation to hear questions from others and answers.

 Constituents who do not receive a phone call may participate in the meeting simply by calling 1-877-229-8493 and entering the ID code (PIN) number 18646 when prompted.

To read this post in Spanish, click here.

Reps. Hasegawa and Hudgins host a telephone town hall!

Rep. Zack Hudgins

Attention constituents of the 11th Legislative District!

What are you doing tomorrow night around 6 o’clock in the evening? Answering the phone, of course - Reps. Bob Hasegawa and Zack Hudgins will be hosting a live telephone town hall!

Around 6 o’clock, thousands of phones in the 11th LD will be ringing. When you pick up you’ll hear a recorded message inviting you to stay on the line and join the event. By doing so, you’ll have the opportunity to speak with Reps. Hasegawa and Hudgins.

To ask the representatives the questions that matter most to you, simply press *3 while you're listening to the call.

Rep. Bob Hasegawa

Constituents who do not receive a phone call may participate in the telephone town hall simply by calling 1-877-229-8493 and entering the ID code (PIN) number 18646 when prompted.

Journalists and other interested parties can dial into the town hall from a landline or cell. For that information call 360-786-7811.

To read this post in Spanish, click here.

Darneille, Jinkins host tele-town hall

Rep. Jeannie Darneille

Reps. Jeannie Darneille and Laurie Jinkins – both from the 27^th Legislative District in Tacoma – will host a telephone town hall 6-7 p.m. Wednesday, April 18. They look forward to a live conversation with their constituents about the issues that matter most to the district and the state.

Under the telephone town hall format, thousands of constituents will receive automatically generated telephone calls to their homes in the 27^th Legislative District just before 6 p.m. Wednesday. The constituents may ask questions for Reps. Darneille and Jinkins to answer by pressing *3 on their phones during the call, and they may listen to the live conversation to hear questions from others and answers.

Rep. Laurie Jinkins

Constituents who do not receive a phone call may participate in the meeting simply by calling 1-877-229-8493 and entering the ID code (PIN) number 18646 when prompted.

19th District legislators to hold tele-town hall meeting

Tomorrow night residents of the 19^th Legislative District will have the chance to ask their legislative members questions without leaving their homes.

On the evening of Tuesday, April 17^th, Rep. Dean Takko, D-Longview, Rep. Brian Blake, D-Aberdeen, and Sen. Brian Hatfield, D-Raymond, will take part in a telephone town hall meeting.  Residents of the district will receive a phone call at or around 6 p.m., asking if they would like to participate in the live event.  Those who do will have the chance to join thousands of their fellow constituents in directly asking the members questions or sharing concerns they have for the 19^th District and the state.

Constituents who do not receive a phone call may participate in the meeting simply by calling 1-877-229-8493 and entering the ID code (PIN) number 18646 when prompted.

Rep. Luis Moscoso on the phone!

Tomorrow night (Wednesday) State Representative Luis Moscoso will be calling residents of the 1st Legislative District to take questions from constituents and discuss what’s been happening in Olympia.

This will be Rep. Luis Moscoso’s first telephone town hall and here’s how it’s going to work out:

1. At around 6:00 PM your home phone should receive a call from Rep. Moscoso.


2. Pick up the phone and follow the prompts.


3. Stay on the line for as long as your schedule allows, and feel free to press *3 if you have a question for Rep. Moscoso.

Easy as 1-2-3!

Please keep in mind that you must be a resident of the 1st LD to participate. If you are a resident of the 1st and don’t receive a call, you can dial into 1-877-229-8493, and then enter PIN code No. 18646 when prompted.

We hope you’ll join the conversation!

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

Rep. Roberts is on the phone!

Tomorrow night State Representative Mary Helen Roberts will be calling residents of the 21st Legislative District to discuss what she’s been up to in Olympia, as well as to take questions from constituents.

This isn’t the first telephone town hall for Rep. Roberts, but if you’ve never participated before, here’s how it works:

1. At around 6:00 PM your home phone should receive a call from Rep. Roberts.

2. Pick up the phone and follow the prompts.

3.Stay on the line for as long as your schedule allows, and feel free to press *3 if you have a question for Rep. Roberts.

Easy as 1-2-3!

Please keep in mind that you must be a resident of the 21st LD to participate. If you are a resident of the 21st and don’t receive a call, you can dial into 1-877-229-8493, and then enter PIN code No. 18646 when prompted.

In addition to the telephone town hall tomorrow evening, Rep. Roberts will be holding two in-person town halls on February 18th with seatmates Rep. Marko Liias and Sen. Paul Shin. The first will be at the Mukilteo City Hall at 10:00 AM, and the second will be at the Edmonds City Council Chambers at 1:30 PM.  

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

Thousands of 38th District folks tune in for lawmakers' tele-Town Hall

The vast majority of policymakers really do work hard at increasing public participation in the legislative process. Take the Telephone Town Hall staged the other night for many thousands of Snohomish County people.

True, not every single one of the 28,086 Tulalip, Marysville and Everett citizens who received a telephone call from their three state legislators actually got a chance to get their two cents in. But 5,152 folks answered the phone.  And then they stayed on the line long enough to take in at least part of this second in an ongoing series of 38th Legislative District Telephone Town Halls. State Reps. John McCoy and Mike Sells, and state Sen. Nick Harper sponsored the tele-forum to emphasize more public participation for their 38th District constituents. The legislators are always on the lookout for ways to get more people more engaged in the state-government process. They held their first tele-forum a year ago, and they'll very likely do another one sometime after the 2012 session finishes up in March.

Some people who "attended" the January 31 teleforum asked questions of their lawmakers. More than a few had a desire to give them a piece of their mind. And others decided they wanted to do both. People talked about everything from the marriage-equality legislation, to funding for schools and social services, to tax reform, to government waste, to -- well, you name it.

McCoy, Sells, Harper and their 144 legislative colleagues just recently cleared the third-of-the-way mark in the 2012 Legislature. They're endeavoring to close the Olympia books by the 12 midnight, March 8, deadline for this year's 60-day legislative get-together.

To read this story in Spanish, click here.