WASHINGTON – Rep. Charles B. Rangel became the first member of Congress to utilize a new online and mobile application to better connect with his constituents and promote legislative interest, especially among the younger generations. Visible Vote, a unique software application, will allow the 20-term Congressman to share his voting record and viewpoints, as well as conduct real-time polls of his constituents, via their Facebook account or smartphones.
"Listening to my constituents is one of my chief priorities as a legislator," said Congressman Rangel. "I'm excited to harness the power of technology to constantly gauge the views and concerns of my diverse community."
In the recent months, Congressman Rangel has been proactive in utilizing innovative and efficient ways to communicate with his constituents. Back in June, Congressman Rangel reached out to more than 80,000 people living in his Upper Manhattan district through his four telephone townhalls, including two held on Saturdays. More than 90 percent among the total of 20,000 participants polled during the townhalls said that they enjoyed the telephone forum and liked the opportunity to discuss various concerns of the community from the comfort of their homes.
The partnership with Visible Vote is Rangel's latest endeavor to interact with tech-savvy residents of diverse backgrounds. According to a recent report released by the Pew Research Center, young African Americans and Hispanics continue to be among the most avid users of the Internet. 64 percent of African Americans and 63 percent of Hispanics are wireless internet users, compared to 49 percent of the white population. The same study also reveals that 83 percent of Hispanics use data applications on their cellphones and laptops, making them are the biggest users above the national average of 79 percent. Nearly 500 constituents living in the Congressman's Upper Manhattan district are already using the Visible Vote application.
"I want to ensure I'm utilizing every possible means of communication to interact with everyone in my district. I see this new application not merely as an innovative way to reach out, but also as a great tool to engage residents, especially young people, in the political process," commented Congressman Rangel.
Congressman Rangel is currently one of the most active members on social media platforms, with more than 1900 Facebook fans and 2880 followers on Twitter. He ranked 12 out of 283 participants in the Democratic Member Online All-Star Competition held in June, and his Twitter feed (@cbrangel) was recently listed as "The 25 must-follow Twitter feeds" for members of the media and general political wonks by the Hill newspaper.
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