COVID-19 prompted an unprecedented shift to virtual in government, including for public meetings. For the most part, leaders achieved remarkable success under extremely trying conditions — more than 80 percent of senior executives in state and local government say their jurisdictions have held virtual public meetings and capitalized on electronic documents during the pandemic, according to new research by the Center for Digital Government (CDG). What’s more, 37 percent of the 219 survey respondents also say they expect virtual public meetings will be part of their new normal once the pandemic subsides. But to support long-term change, government leaders need to overcome challenges around people, processes, policies and technology. This paper looks more closely at what the CDG data reveals about digitization roadblocks and offers a step-by-step guide for developing strategies that address today’s issues and create a solid foundation for modernization around public meetings.
