Facebook Live seeks to connect lawmakers with social media users

As the country becomes more deeply embroiled in divisive political culture, Facebook has launched a new tool aimed at bridging the divide.

It’s called “Town Hall,” and it enables users to easily contact elected officials through the platform.

“Building a civically engaged community means building new tools to help people engage in a thoughtful and informed way,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post. “The starting point is knowing who represents you and how you can make your voice heard on the decisions that affect your life.”

When users click on the Town Hall app, they are prompted to enter their address. Once they do, they're shown a list of their representatives, along with options to follow them on Facebook or contact them directly.

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Currently, only state and national politicians are included. The move also follows a recent livestream from two Texas representatives racing to Washington, D.C. to vote on a proposal.

The Houston Chronicle reported:

Beto O'Rourke, a Democrat, figured the blizzard would nix his travel plans as well. He made a half-joking proposal he assumed Hurd would turn down: What if we rent a car, make the 24-hour drive together - and live-stream it?

The ambitious and relatively young representatives set out before dawn Tuesday, racing to reach the U.S. Capitol before votes on Wednesday evening and hoping to provide an example of cross-party cooperation.

One of their Facebook Live videos has been viewed more than 15,000 times:

The tool might encourage other lawmakers to interact in like-minded ways online, and will also give users local election reminders.

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