Posted: 08/01/06

Congressional offices recently instituted logic puzzles that require constituents to solve a simple math problem before they are permitted to send an email to a Representative. The new puzzles have caused a large controversy between activist groups, who claim that requiring a logic puzzle hinders the ability of citizens to directly correspond with their elected officials, and Members of Congress, who defend the puzzles based on the needs to ensure that individuals are actually intending to send messages to Congress and cutting down on the overall volume of email that Members of Congress receive. The email logic puzzles are designed to block automated systems yet be simple enough that Americans can easily answer the questions correctly and communicate with their elected officials.

The Congressional Argument

In 2004 alone, Members of Congress received 182 million internet messages, a four- fold increase over ten years before. Much of this rapid growth in the number of incoming emails that Members of Congress receive has been due to large organized campaigns that use form emails. Some Congressional offices have used organized mass mailings to reach a huge number of their voters, but for others, the increase in volume has been overwhelming and the decrease in personalization has been frustrating. Hill staff is extremely wary of form emails; Congressional Management Foundation found that half of Congressional staffers surveyed do not believe that form messages are sent with citizens' approval. In order to filter out mass messages and require personal emails Members of Congress use logic puzzles that stump automated programs that groups use to automatically fill out online forms. By filtering out mass messages, staffers believe that are able to focus their time and resources on responding to what they deem as real constituent matters.

More on the Congressional Argument in Favor of the Logic Puzzle:

Congressional Management Foundation: "What's the Congressional Perspective?"

The Organizations' Argument

Many people, especially those associated with the advocacy community, view logic puzzles as limiting factors on the ability of constituents to freely communicate with their elected officials. In fact, Washington Post columnist Jeffrey Birnbaum found that during a single day only 19% of individuals who viewed the logic puzzle moved on to send messages to their Representatives. This could be due to the fact that automated systems were refused access, but is likely at least partially due to user frustration. Developments in communication have been helpful to advocacy organizations. The internet and email have allowed the advocacy community to keep people up to date on urgent policy matters and have provided them with an easy means to organize campaigns around  for communicating messages to Members of Congress. However, with the institution of logic puzzles, non-profit organizations and advocacy campaigners are hindered in their ability to influence Congress because much grassroots campaigning through email via automated systems that can be blocked by the logic puzzles. In response to the logic puzzles, advocacy groups have banded together to call on Congress to immediately disable the logic puzzles.

More on the Organizations' Argument against the Logic Puzzle:

Congressional Management Foundation: "What's the Grassroots' Perspective?"

Dontblockmyvoice.org: "Facts"

Washington Post: "Finding Fault with Congress's E-mail Plan"

Take Action!

Care2 & Consumer's Union Petition - "Don't Let Congress Block Your Email"

Public Citizen- "Congress is Erection E-Barriers to Shut Out Public"

Dontblockmyvoice.org

Don'tsilencethepeople.org

The Status Quo

As it stands, there is a fundamental division in the mindset of Congressional staffers and grassroots organizers. Each side believes that its stance on the issue is best for constituents and thus resolving this conflict is likely to require discussion and compromise from both groups. If the two sides fail to work together, then a perpetual race to find new ways to infiltrate Congressional inboxes is likely.

More on What's Next?

Congressional Management Foundation: "What Does This Mean?"

Congressional Management Foundation: "What's the Next Step?"

Frogloop: "NetSquared DC: Beyond the Logic Puzzle"

More About the Logic Puzzle in the News:

The New Standard: "Congress's New Anti-spam Measures Confound Interest Groups"

Washington Post: "Finding Fault with Congress's E-mail Plan"

Washington Post: "K Street Confidential"

Congressional Management Foundation: "The Reasoning Behind Logic Puzzles"