Note: This feature became available on Facebook on March 27, 2017. This article was originally published on March 28, 2017.
Facebook launched a new feature yesterday called Town Hall, and it could be a game changer.
The social media giant apparently recognizes the enormous impact it has on politics in the U.S., and decided to make it easier for you to contact your representatives.
How cool is that?!
I was looking at my own page today and saw something new in the left-hand toolbar. I decided to check it out and took some screenshots to show you all what I’m talking about. Bear in mind that your interface may look different – these are taken from a laptop running Firefox; it might look very different on a phone.
When you first click on the town hall icon, you’ll be shown the representatives for your state, which is already super handy. You’re given the option to follow your representatives on Facebook or contact them, as well as a link that goes directly to their Facebook page.
However, you can click on “Enter Address” and put in any address and see who represents that exact location.
I entered the address for the John Hancock building in Chicago, IL, and got 13 results, conveniently broken down into local, state, and federal levels.
As an added bonus, if you access this feature from your smartphone, clicking on “Contact” will give you the option to immediately call your elected official.
And furthermore, it’s integrated right into your newsfeed now – contact information will now show up right underneath posts made by elected officials.
Facebook, you done good this time!
Featured image by Friesehamburg via Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0
