The First Amendment Promise of Deliberative Technology

Lorelei Kelly, The First Amendment Promise of Deliberative Technology, Toda Peace Institute, March 2026.

Congress —and members’ and senators’ offices particularly— is flooded by tens of thousands of phone calls, emails, and other communications, many of which are sent or stoked by interest groups. Our national legislature, notes report author Lorelei Kelly, lacks the capacity to make sense of these cacophonous inputs and to separate niche sentiments from popular ones.

The report argues for upgrades to Congress to help it better hear voters’ sentiments and deliberate upon them. Kelly advocates for Congress to host “civil society field hearings” across the country where citizens can discuss issues with one another and legislators and their staff. Deploying a “deliberative technology platform” can help make sense of these conversations by translating them into insights and possible actions.