Local government meetings are often seen as venues for community input, but who actually speaks up? This study compiles a novel dataset by coding thousands of citizen comments from planning and zoning board discussions about housing development. We then link these individuals to voter files to analyze their local political participation patterns.

Methods

By examining coded meeting minutes alongside voter registration data, we identify who among the public speaks at these meetings.

Key Findings

Citizens speaking out on housing issues tend to share specific characteristics: they are typically older, male, long-term residents, registered voters in local elections, and homeowners. This group is highly homogeneous and disproportionately represents only a segment of the broader public.

Policy Implications

This finding suggests that the voices heard at these meetings may not accurately reflect community needs or concerns more broadly. Such participation gaps could potentially bias policy discussions toward narrow interests, possibly contributing to challenges like rising housing costs.