Virtual Town Halls: Government at Your Fingertips

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2017

Regardless of schedule or internet access, a citizen should be afforded the opportunity to obtain public information. To make a personal connection while informing the public, governments host public meetings or town halls. However, this method is only limited to a certain segment of the population. Furthermore, this method does not incorporate or embrace technology readily available to both the public and government. Thus, Henrico County combined interpersonal and digital communication efforts into one public meeting. The presentations and question and answer periods were live-streamed at two magisterial district town hall meetings, and online participants submitted questions and feedback through social media or email. This allowed for in-person and virtual attendees to become informed and fully participate in the discussion. Additionally, the video stream was archived allowing citizens to access the town hall meeting anytime. Instead of the usual ten to twelve attendees at a public meeting, 177 people participated in the live feed or watched the archived public meeting.