HARTFORD –The Yankee Institute for Public Policy unveiled its TweetCT Project today, their latest effort to improve transparency and communication among Connecticut’s elected officials. The tool is available online at www.TweetCT.org.
“Transparency opens government to everyone,” said Heath W. Fahle, the Yankee Institute’s Policy Director. “This new website gives Connecticut’s citizens the ability to connect with our leaders in government.”
The social media platform Twitter has grown dramatically in popularity over the last several years and now features more than six million users worldwide. TweetCT.org connects Connecticut residents with their leaders via a simple yet powerful tool that allows users to search for their local elected officials and interact with them.
“More information produces better decisions,” continued Fahle. “For elected officials, this means hearing from their constituents before key votes. For citizens, more information about their leaders will help them make better decisions about who represents them in Hartford or Washington.”
The new tool, located on the Internet at www.TweetCT.org, is an important tool for increasing transparency in state government. Local residents will be able to identify their elected officials (US Congress, State Senator, and State Representative) by putting in their zip code. The site also allows users to follow elected officials, retweet preferred messages, and share pictures and videos.
According to the Yankee Institute’s analysis, there are 151 State Representatives, 36 State Senators, 6 constitutional officers, 5 Members of Congress, and two US Senators from Connecticut. Of these 200 individuals, we identified 28 Twitter users. Over the course of the year, the Yankee Institute hopes to dramatically expand the number of elected officials using Twitter to communicate with Connecticut’s citizens.
