Find ways to improve remote access to government meetings
Through executive orders and new laws, governors across the country last month allowed state and local officials to forgo in-person public meetings in favor of virtual ones. Avoiding large gatherings, they reasoned, would prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Logistically, the changes have been difficult to implement. In many communities, steep learning curves emerged. Towns, municipalities and state agencies face significant challenges: navigating new online platforms, adhering to state open meeting laws, and managing public access while avoiding Zoombombing and bad actors, to name a few.
Fortunately, there are many resources available to government officials to help with troubleshooting the new technology. Every major conferencing service has its own library of tips, suggestions and best practices. What seems to be lacking is a practical, common-sense guide beyond technical issues and legal requirements. How can public officials best help their constituents participate and understand what is occurring during meetings?
The following is a list of tips compiled from journalists, open government advocates and community watchdogs who have spent the last several weeks identifying ways to improve the process.
1. Identify yourself. As each meeting is called to order, all participants should be identified by name and title. This will create a more complete record of the proceeding and allow viewers to better understand and evaluate comments that are made. Speakers should also identify themselves each time they speak. This will be especially helpful if the meeting is not recorded or if members of the public lack video access and are relying solely on audio.
2. Designate a meeting facilitator or chairperson. Having an individual in this role will make it easier for the meeting to proceed in a structured and coherent manner. The person in this role could also be responsible for making sure all speakers are identified and meeting materials are accessible to those joining remotely.
3. Consider the digital divide. According to recent reports, tens of millions of Americans still lack high-speed Internet access. Make sure these citizens are not left out of the democratic process. Provide a telephone call-in option for all meetings.
4. Practice run. Before the meeting occurs, check to make sure the system is working. This includes testing passwords, links, URLs or codes provided to the public. Organizers should confirm that all this information is available to citizens along with the agenda and any other instructions needed to join the meeting.
5. Make materials accessible. Publicly distribute the agenda and any materials that will be discussed well in advance of the meeting. Open meeting laws typically include this practice, but go beyond the minimum notice requirements. Also remember that just like citizens who pick up meeting materials when they arrive in person, there will be those looking to catch up to speed after the meeting starts. Keep these materials accessible throughout the proceeding and give reminders during the meeting about where they can be found.
6. Continuous access. Citizens should be able to join meetings in progress. Don’t lock out latecomers after the meeting begins. Also, calls often get dropped and Internet connections are lost. There’s no excuse for a citizen to hear busy signals or see messages about no access being currently available when trying to reconnect.
7. Record all meetings. There will always be members of your community who were not able to connect and view the meeting live. Services such as Zoom allow for easy recording. Post all these recordings on your website and social media pages. This will create a recorded archive of meetings and allow citizens to view the discussion on their own schedule.
This is not an exhaustive list. There are certainly other ways officials can accommodate citizens who, like them, are learning how to utilize remote conferencing services. But the list provides a good start and reminds officials that government should accommodate the public beyond the requirements of individual state laws.
While some officials have kept their deliberations secret despite new open meeting law requirements, most of the continued secrecy seems to exist despite good faith efforts to provide citizens the access they need. Still, with government asking citizens to make personal and professional sacrifices to help flatten the curve, the public trust that comes with transparency must be preserved regardless of intentions.
However difficult it may be to host public meetings online, citizens must demand that they have sufficient access and oversight. By looking for ways to better facilitate public participation, we can use this pandemic as an opportunity — one that will set the groundwork for more access and a higher standard of transparency moving forward.
However difficult it may be to host public meetings online, citizens must demand that they have sufficient access and oversight.