Pandemic has had a range of impacts on public access to government

LARAMIE — When public gatherings were abruptly shut down as impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic ripped through Wyoming and the United States, local governments were faced with an additional challenge: how to maintain legally mandated public access to meetings people couldn’t attend. 
That’s when government agencies, including the Wyoming Legislature and local governments, moved their meetings online, pushing politics into the virtual world. 
While the Legislature has returned to a hybrid format of allowing both in-person and virtual attendance and participation, the city of Laramie is still conducting all of its political business over the web-based application Zoom, a decision that’s generated mixed reviews from the community. 
Some value the virtual option for safety and convenience, and others argue the virtual meetings act as a barrier to providing full access, understanding and efficiency. 
“I think what we’re seeing now is a total shift in accessibility because the system of access has changed,” said Jason McConnell, a University of Wyoming political science professor, about the move to include online options for conducting the public’s business. “It’s changed from physical presence to during lockdown a completely virtual model to now some kind of hybrid model.” 
People who may not normally have the time or desire to attend public meetings in-person could suddenly do so more easily. They can watch their kids and make dinner in their homes with a meeting on in the background or tune in only for a particular topic of interest. 
Before the pandemic, City Council meetings were usually quiet affairs with only staff members in the room, said City Manager Janine Jordan. Since going virtual in 2020, she can’t recall a meeting that didn’t have residents attend online.
“While videoconferencing can be a bit unwieldy, … I have seen our public engagement really increase,” Jordan said. “Video conferencing where people do not have to turn on the camera and can participate from home seems like it’s been very popular.” 
In addition to increased attendance, Jordan also has noticed that more people chose to speak up during public comment periods via videoconference. 
“The work we do in committee meetings is much more open and engaging,” said state Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, about remote communication options in the Legislature. “(We) have the ability to take public testimony from people all over the state during deliberation.” 
Despite the increased access, Rothfuss said the opportunities to build relationships and have informal side conversations during in-person meetings is central to getting the people’s work done effectively. 
“You can’t replace face-to-face engagement and expect the same outcome,” Rothfuss said. 
Fortunately for state politicians, the Wyoming Legislature began streaming its meetings before the pandemic. Technology enhancements happened faster over the past couple of years but were always part of the plan. 
The Legislature met in person the past three weeks for its 2022 regular session, but the public had the option to attend meetings and provide comments over a video call. Videoconferencing technology also was added to Capitol meeting rooms as part of a larger renovation project. 
If technology like this is central to increasing public engagement in government, there’s still one hurdle: ensuring public access to the technology. 
“There are concerns to be raised about who has the technology and who can afford it,” McConnell said. “Would the government only be accessible to people with a shiny new iPhone and high-speed internet?” 
In a Wyoming State Broadband Program survey, 742 of 2,853 respondents said they do not have broadband. Of those, 434 said the option isn’t available where they lived. 
The Wyoming Business Council is working to expand broadband access throughout the state. A large amount of this work is through the Connect Wyoming program, which is paused until the state can secure better federal funding, said spokesperson Josh Dorrell. 
Questions of the functionality of meeting online have found their way to the forefront during Laramie City Council meetings, which are being held virtually until further notice. 
Beyond a gap in internet access, there also are people who don’t have the skills to operate technology effectively. 
This learning curve impacts not only members of the public, but also city employees. 
Some members of a volunteer community group working with the city on police reforms said that meeting in person rather than over Zoom would have made things more efficient. 
“The city as a whole is looking forward to moving to in-person meetings,” said Mayor Paul Weaver during a February work session. “I’m not going to give you an exact date for when we can meet in person, but I know there will be one.” 
Despite these issues, Jordan said she expects the public will want a video conferencing option even after City Council resumes in-person meetings. 
“The ability someday to have a hybrid format is something I certainly would recommend in the future,” Jordan said. 
Per Wyoming law, public entities are required to hold all agenda-related discussions and work publicly, provide notice of those meetings and take minutes. When the world shut down for the pandemic, governments had to find a way to keep following this law, even if they couldn’t hold in-person discussions. 
With public meetings only a tap or few keyboard clicks away, small governments that might be used to relative obscurity get thrown onto a public stage in a way they didn’t during in-person proceedings. 
“(Local politicians are) used to having one or two people a month show up and say nice things,” McConnell said. “It’s shifted from that to a paradigm that is some cross between ‘Thunderdome’ and ‘Fight Club.’” 
Within the walls of the state Senate Chambers or a town hall, there are established methods of communication that participants are used to following. The decorum can be rigid, but the idea is that it keeps proceedings on track and civil. 
“Because of the way we interact with each other electronically, it actually sets up a scenario where we behave in ways outside our norms of behavior,” McConnell said. 
Because there is no solid precedent or “model” behavior for video conferences and webinars, it’s left up to the entities and their communities to form new sets of social norms for the space. 
One way governments have quelled rowdy and inappropriate behavior via video is by holding their meetings through a webinar feature. This allows the creator of the meeting to give participants speaking and video access, but disables chat, voice and video features for the audience. 
While the meeting host can give audience members permission to speak, they don’t have the power to interject or make themselves seen on their own as they would during an in-person meeting. 
“If public meetings exist for people to see what the government’s doing and to engage with the government, is it actually a one-for-one replacement?” McConnell asked.
 
This story was published on March 13, 2022.