A prerequisite to understanding the current challenges with the democratic dialogue is to understand who the players are, their roles in the communications between Congress and the public, and the processes they use to perform their roles. These interactions are, at their core, personal interactions between one constituent—the petitioner—and one Member of Congress. The practical reality, however, is that others are involved, as well. In addition to constituents and Members of Congress—the primary stakeholders—there are other stakeholders that play vital roles in ensuring that effective communication takes place. Among them are "special interest groups."
Constituents are the primary stakeholders on the petitioner side, and their right to petition government for a redress of grievances is enshrined in the Constitution. The primary stakeholders on the congressional end are, of course, Senators and Representatives, but their staffers are important secondary stakeholders, as they help their bosses manage constituent engagement. The many thousands of organizations that facilitate grassroots advocacy campaigns—including associations, nonprofits, corporations, etc.—are also critical secondary stakeholders. Constituents look to the organizations they trust to help them monitor what is happening in Congress and to help them understand when and how to become engaged in the political process. Though they're often denigrated as "special interest groups," they, like congressional staff, play an important role in the democratic dialogue.
Most of what we hear about Congress involves a very small selection of Members of Congress and issues. We hear about the Senators, Representatives, and issues that make national news. However, the media and general public have little incentive to scrutinize the lion's share of Congress' activities and decisions because they affect only a narrow swath of citizens. Only issues of national import receive national attention.
This is the very reason for organized advocacy, or "special interest groups." They are individuals coming together around an issue they care about and exercising their rights to assembly, free speech, and petition. In fact, most interactions between the People and Congress are facilitated by such groups. Thousands of state and national associations, nonprofits, companies, and other formal and informal groups organize Americans to contact their elected officials on issues of collective importance, most of which do not have broad national interest and are seldom discussed outside of the group's network.
For example, the Alzheimer's Association might call on its members to encourage a Representative to co-sponsor a bill to increase funding for Alzheimer's research. Or the American Farm Bureau might reach out to farmers to encourage a Senator to speak publicly against a proposed regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency. Unless someone is already engaged with the group or issue they may never learn whether and how a lawmaker responds. The result is a cycle of citizen advocacy translating to congressional action playing out thousands of times a day in Congress, largely unwitnessed by either the media or the public.
This is not the warped influence of nefarious "special interest groups"—it is a fundamental feature of our democracy for individuals to band together to monitor legislation and inform elected officials of their opinions, expressing a civic voice on the decisions that will impact them.
In our 2021 report The Future of Citizen Engagement: Rebuilding the Democratic Dialogue, we propose ten principles for modernizing and improving the relationship between Congress and the People. All ten will require changes in the constituent engagement culture and practices in both Congress and the organizations that help facilitate grassroots advocacy. We are posting a blog series outlining each of the principles and featuring accompanying resources, articles, and plans to support it. This information is in support of Principle 2: Congress should robustly embrace and facilitate the People's First Amendment Rights.
