ABSTRACT
Members of the House of Representatives face reminders every day that we are only one of 435 strong-willed people trying to shape national policy outcomes. The volume of incoming communications from the district has massively increased since the advent of e-mail and free long-distance calls. Numbers vary according to what may be in the news or on social media on a given day, but they average about 1,600 calls, e-mails, and letters regarding policy issues per week. As congressional districts become more populous and spill over existing community boundaries, and as constituents become more reliant on media—conventional and social—and less on personal and party channels for their political information, members must develop extensive mail and media operations if they are to communicate effectively. There is no substitute for moving around the district personally; people like to see their representatives, and the closest personal tie many of them have to the federal government is their US House member.
