About Us

We want to connect you to Congress!

Congressional Communities is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan civic organization aiming to improve communication with our Congress members. It's our mission to help make Congress members more accessible to every constituent in their district.

The Problem

Right now, the average Congressional District has a population of over 750,000 - with no organization. As a result, most people never have any meaningful contact with their elected Representative, and just get lost in the mix when it comes to trying to reach them.

The Solution

We've organized each of the nation's 435 Congressional Districts into sub-districts of 30,000 to 60,000 people, which we call Congressional Communities, or CCs. What we're doing in organizing Congressional Districts is leveraging the communities that already exist within them to give people a meaningful voice in government.

These CCs are small enough that people can actually meet face-to-face with their neighbors to discuss national and local issues, yet large enough with their thousands of voters that members of Congress would be wise to engage with them frequently.

CCs provide a way to build a network of informed local residents who can tap into the extensive interests, knowledge and expertise of the nation's individuals, ensuring a broad spectrum of thought on a wide array of issues.

We're not trying to build a direct democracy here. What we're trying to build is a nation of well-informed people and an organization to improve representative democracy.

Before & After

Congressional Districts Without CCs

One district with 750,000 people
A rigid model that just keeps adding people to districts indefinitely
A district staff that averages around 6 people - many of whom are interns - responsible for the entire district
Meetings with our members of Congress are limited either in frequency, location, or content

The CC Model

One district divided into 15 smaller Congressional Communities ("CCs") with 30,000-60,000 people each
  • Each CC can identify the issues most important to it
  • Members of Congress will have a better understanding of the similarities and differences within the district
  • Communities will be able to measure Congress members' ability to provide help to their CC

In Short

We are not changing Congressional district lines or adding more districts. We are not looking to create a direct democracy. What we are doing is improving our nation's existing model for representative democracy by organizing ever-growing Congressional district populations into smaller, more manageable Congressional Communities.

Mission Statement

Congressional Communities empowers folks to connect and influence their Congress members. We've sliced big districts into bite-sized areas. It's all about locals uniting to tackle crucial issues head-on.

Vision Statement

We are striving to build a nation where folks are regularly asked what they think about the issues, and Congress acts accordingly.

Meet Our Team

Dan Carracino

National Coordinator, Founder

Mr. Carracino is the founder of Congressional Communities. After success as a business owner and as a documentary filmmaker (Bill W.), he has turned his attention towards creating a flexible, community-oriented structure to provide the average American – and the communities they live in – a more effective way to have their voices heard by Congress.

Jamie McCaa

Researcher, Writer

Ms. McCaa has a B.A. in Sociology and Asian American Studies from U.C. Davis. Her research- based writing helps Congressional Communities share important information about government with the public in a way that recognizes that people interpret events and information differently.

Marely Vega

GIS specialist

Ms. Vega has a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Riverside. Marely conducts geospatial analysis to generate population profiles of the demographic, socioeconomic, housing data and other attributes to provide insights into the unique makeup of each Congressional Community.

Meet Our Board

Paul McPartlands

Board Secretary

Paul McPartland, a graduate of Boston College Law School, has spent his career in public service with the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, the largest state-funded public-housing program in the country.

Kevin Hanlon

Board Treasurer

Kevin Hanlon is an independent documentary filmmaker and writer with an extensive background in creating message-driven video content across multiple platforms, including social media.

Sophia Lander

Board Member

Sophia Lander is one the earliest members of Congressional Communities and was a participant in the most recent Yale Young Global Scholars Program at Yale University.