Innovation in Action: Highlights from the 2025 Congressional Hackathon
The 2025 Congressional Hackathon brought Members of Congress, staff, technologists, and students together at the US Capitol for a day of collaboration, big announcements, and inspiring solutions from the next generation of innovators working to modernize Congress.
FedManager: Platform Gives Departing Feds a Voice on Bottlenecks Between Congress, Agencies
POPVOX Foundation launched a platform called “Departure Dialogues” to hear from former federal employees about the frustrations they’ve seen through their years of service, and take that knowledge to better implement policies and make government work better.
The Promise of Politics in the Age of AI
At the Global Gathering in Portugal, voices from 144 countries explored AI accountability, digital democracy, and community-driven innovation as part of a renewed vision for politics in the age of AI.
POPVOX Foundation Welcomes Yulianna Acuña
POPVOX Foundation welcomes new intern Yulianna Acuña. Yulianna is a senior at New York University majoring in International Relations and Latin American Studies.
What we did over our summer vacation
We’re back! ICYMI: A recap of AI “summer camp” for Congressional staff, the launch of Departure Dialogues for departing federal employees, and new writing on why casework insights struggle to reach decision-makers. Plus: the House Digital Service’s release of a unified casework taxonomy, a major step toward better tools and national dashboards for constituent services.
What Citizens’ Assemblies Can Teach Legislatures
As democracies grapple with declining trust, Marjan H. Ehsassi highlights the promise and pitfalls of citizens’ assemblies. Ahead of the Athens Democracy Forum, she explores how well-designed assemblies can amplify citizen voice, build social cohesion, and give legislatures political cover to tackle tough issues.
Federal News Network: When feds leave, a new project makes sure their wisdom doesn’t walk out the door with them
POPVOX Foundation Managing Director Anne Meeker appeared on The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton to discuss the launch of Departure Dialogues.
POPVOX Foundation Celebrates Launch of House Digital Services Unified Casework Data Schema
POPVOX Foundation commends the House of Representatives on its release of a unified data schema for Congressional casework tracking and analysis. This groundbreaking work will transform how Congress learns from constituent experiences and identifies systemic challenges in federal agency operations.
Announcing the Departure Dialogues Project
POPVOX Foundation, the Niskanen Center, Civil Service Strong, the Partnership for Public Service, and the Foundation for American Innovation invite departing federal employees to share your insights to help inform future Congressional action to strengthen federal programs.
POPVOX Foundation Launches “Departure Dialogues” to Give Former Federal Employees Nonpartisan Platform for Sharing Recommendations to Congress on Fixing Federal Services
Using oral history technology and AI analysis, Departure Dialogues captures departing civil servants’ experiences and turns them into actionable intelligence for lawmakers, oversight bodies, and reformers. In partnership with several civic organizations, Departure Dialogues aims to close the feedback loop between those who implement federal programs and those who make the laws that shape them.
How Legislative Office Structure Creates Bad Politics
Drawing on Jennifer Pahlka’s insights, the post explores how Congressional office structures sideline constituent-facing staff, why that weakens policymaking, and how rethinking culture, training, and tools can elevate constituent input.
Inside the 50th Anniversary of NCSL: Lessons From the States
POPVOX Foundation’s Anne Meeker and Sirena Harrop reflect on AI, capacity gaps, and takeaways from Boston’s record-setting 50th anniversary summit of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
5th Circuit Clears the Path for Congressional Emergency Planning
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has clarified that Congress’ quorum requirement does not demand physical presence, upholding proxy voting and affirming Congress’ constitutional flexibility to operate during emergencies. The decision paves the way for stronger continuity planning and modern remote participation systems to ensure legislative function in future crises.
Who Holds the Gavel?
This edition explores the evolving role of parliamentary speakers worldwide, drawing on new Inter-Parliamentary Union data to profile today’s leaders. From Brazil’s leadership standoff to Syria’s upcoming elections, we also highlight global legislative modernization, plus fresh research tools, historic discoveries, and upcoming democracy-focused events.
POPVOX Foundation Launches “AI Summer Camp” for Congressional Staff
POPVOX Foundation’s AI Summer Camp aims to encourage Members of Congress and their staff to dedicate meaningful time to explore use cases of institutionally approved LLMs. The project addresses the gap between Congressional offices' curiosity about the benefits and risks of using AI capabilities and the practical challenge of finding time to explore this emerging technology while having fun along the way.
Meaningful Knowledge: Constituent Engagement as Qualitative Research
In this conversation with Chelsea Mauldin, Executive Director of the Public Policy Lab, we explore constituent engagement as a form of qualitative research. From “shower thoughts” to structural change, we discuss how local interactions can inform better policymaking, elevate the role of district staff, and shift how we think about data in democracy.
What does the One Big Beautiful Bill Act mean for casework?
Buried in headlines about the One Big Beautiful Bill Act? You’re not alone. The latest Casework Navigator cuts through the noise to break down what actually matters for casework.
What's the Future of Casework? (Podcast)
How do constituent services currently operate? What are the lines of communication between constituents, elected officials, and government agencies? What would casework look like under proportional representation?
POPVOX Foundation Deputy Director Anne Meeker joins Lee Drutman on the Politics in Question podcast to discuss this and more.
New Resources on AI-Adoption Change Management, Congressional Office AI Use Policies, and Creating Custom GPTs for the Legislative Workforce
New resources designed specifically to help House and Senate chiefs of staff and their teams navigate the responsible adoption of generative AI (GenAI) tools in their daily work.
ModParl: The Africa Edition
A long overdue spotlight on Africa, highlighting legislative innovation, institutional reform, and how parliaments across the continent are embracing technology, collaboration, and new ways of serving constituents.