In a new report, MapLight examines the profound effects of the pandemic on civic participation and local governance, while recommending key steps for local governments to boost citizen participation in public life in the years ahead.

In early 2020, amid surging COVID caseloads, high anxiety, and uncertainty across the country, local governments and democratic institutions faced a multitude of challenges. In addition to confronting critical decisions about public safety, how should they best engage the public in the absence of meeting in-person? How could they test, practice, and harness new digital tools to get feedback and buy-in about important government decisions? And how could they use the moment to usher-in a new era of public participation in civic life?

MapLight's report, Reaching Out: Civic Engagement Strategies for a Post-COVID World, is the result of interviews with more than a dozen local officials, community-based organizations, and government associations from across the country. The report also makes extensive use of literature about civic engagement, citing expert sources to create a resource for elected leaders, government agencies and workers, and citizens. 

As state and local governments take stock of their successes and challenges in civic engagement since the beginning of the pandemic, the report highlights the benefits of technology while cautioning  against treating it as a silver bullet. Contact us to learn more about best practices for civic engagement or to discuss questions about Reaching Out: Civic Engagement Strategies for a Post-Covid World,