Homeland democracy: speaking up for the legislature: at the center of representative democracy is the need for legislatures to define and communicate messages in today's language, using today's technology.

AuthorRose, Gene

As he stood in front of a crew that had served on the longest carrier deployment in a generation, President George W. Bush announced on May 1 the end of major combat operations in Iraq.

"Men and women in every culture need liberty, like they need food and water and air," he told the men and women on the USS Abraham Lincoln. "Everywhere that freedom arrives, humanity rejoices."

At least it rejoices for awhile. As Operation Iraqi Freedom evolved from bombing to rebuilding, Iraqis embraced their new found freedom. Here on the homefront, however, many U.S. citizens take our 200year-old democracy for granted, judging by polls and voter turnout.

"The price paid for freedom is often associated with war, but vigilance demonstrated by everyday citizens participating in their democracy also is needed to keep a nation strong and free," says Val Marmillion, president of Pacific Visions, a strategic communications firm.

State legislatures, he says, are in a unique position to strengthen public understanding of representative democracy. First, though, they need to learn how to make their constituents not only hear them, but listen to them.

CHALLENGING TIMES

Today legislators and legislative staff face a challenging economy, pressure to fund state programs and an anxious constituency fearful of terrorist attacks. After the Sept. 11 strikes, there was a general sense of optimism that the public's view of democracy, government and public servants would improve, and citizens would be more interested and engaged in the political process.

As low voter turnout during the 2002 elections illustrated, however, the public remains very cynical about lawmakers and politicians at all levels. A total of 39.3 percent of those eligible voted in the 2002 midterm elections, according to the center for Voting and Democracy. This figure represents a slight increase from the 37.6 percent turnout for the 1998 elections, but clearly shows most Americans are not taking part in representative democracy.

Despite significant initiatives by state legislatures to raise awareness, legislatures, legislators, the process and the issues continue to be very low on the public's radar screen.

Legislatures over the past decade have aggressively embraced the Internet to provide citizens easy access to legislative information, with about two-thirds providing open broadcasts of their proceedings. Legislative rules changes generally allow the public greater participation in the process than ever before. civic education programs are more commonplace.

PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE OF LEGISLATURES

Focus groups conducted by Pacific Visions on behalf of the National conference of State Legistatures' Trust for Representative Democracy last year demonstrate the need for legislatures to better market themselves and define the messages they want the public to understand.

When Pacific Visions met with citizens in three states, it found that a vast majority felt they did not have the time to educate themselves on the important issues necessary to be more actively involved in the political process. Many people indicated that, as much as they would like to be involved, their lives were just too busy with work, family and other commitments.

Marmillion notes that even with this challenge, there is hope for legislatures to communicate their messages.

"I think in times of great stress and tension, good things come and great ideas evolve," he says.

Legislatures, he says, need to re-evaluate and address the cynicism that is "largely built around constituents saying, 'Our officials don't communicate with us. We don't know who they are. We don't know what they do.' The need to define united legislative messages and communicate them in today's language using today's technology is of critical importance in this communications age. It is an issue at the center of democracy.

THE NEED TO COMMUNICATE

William Black, senior vice president with Fleishman-Hillard, says that legislatures that want to communicate better with their constituents need to have a goal in mind.

"The first step I take when advising a client is asking them, 'What is it you are trying to achieve?' And then we work back from there." Understanding the goal, he says, means understanding the reason behind a specific piece of communication and also recognizing how it relates to your long-term goals and aspirations.

"From the goals you establish, you can determine who the audiences are that can deliver those goals," Black says. "Then, you define the messages that you have to give those...

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