Increasingly the way citizens interact with government and complete government transactions relies on technology. While this evolution has facilitated greater access to political information and heightened citizen expectations for government responsiveness\, many remain excluded from the political process. Highlighting themes from\, <em>The Circle</em>\, this talk focuses on these and other issues that have arisen in response to increased citizen interaction with government through technology. Special attention will also be paid to the ways in which technology can be used to both include and exclude citizens from the democratic process and the effect of technology on political discussion\, mobilization\, and engagement.
 

Bridgett A. King\, PhD\, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Master of Public Administration Program at Auburn University. Dr. King teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in state and local government\, American government\, the Presidency\, political participation\, and public policy. She is also an instructor in the Election Center Certified Elections/Registration Administrator (CERA) Program.

Her primary research interests include political participation\, public policy\, citizen voting experiences\, and race and ethnicity. She is currently working on projects that address the relationship between state-level voting policies like voter ID and felony disenfranchisement on voter turnout\, citizen confidence in electoral outcomes\, and the role of non-profits in civic engagement.