From electric typewriters to AI, constituent engagement has changed |
When I started as an intern on Capitol Hill in the summer of 1983, I plopped down in an uncomfortable chair in an office in the Rayburn House Office Building, shared a work desk with two other interns, and was shown my primary tool for the semester: an IBM Selectric typewriter. (For younger staff who’ve never seen one of these contraptions, you can find one in a Smithsonian museum.)
Each intern had an identical binder, with dividers for every letter of the alphabet, separating pages that articulated the exact position on the issues of the day for the House member I worked for. Interns were expected to read constituent letters, identify the topic for response from the binder, and type them on congressional letterhead paper. Instead of a “delete” button on a computer, you used “white out” (a white liquid allowing you to cover up and correct mistakes).
Move ahead 41 years, to my last days as CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation in 2024. Some of my final meetings were with House staff discussing how to use AI in crafting replies to constituent messages.
My journey........