You Can Now Use Facebook To Call Your Representatives

Facebook just made it a lot easier to find the contact information for your elected officials with a new feature that allows users to contact their representatives directly through the mobile app.

The Town Hall feature went live to all users on Monday. It simply requires users to enter their home address, which allows Facebook to show you a list of your local, state and federal representatives. By clicking the "contact" button next to the name of the representative, users have the option to place a call.

"Building a civically-engaged community means building new tools to help people engage in a thoughtful and informed way. The starting point is knowing who represents you and how you can make your voice heard on the decisions that affect your life," Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a post introducing the feature. "The more you engage with the political process, the more you can ensure it reflects your values. This is an important part of feeling connected to your community and your democracy, and it’s something we’re increasingly focused on at Facebook."

Facebook is also launching reminders for local elections and integrating some Town Hall features into the newsfeed. For example, if you like or comment on a post made by one of your elected officials, a prompt below the post will invite users to contact the representative via email, phone or message, TechCrunch reports. Users can also choose to share this interaction on Facebook, however this will only be shared with others who are also engaging with an elected official's post.

Facebook has been thrust into the political debate in the wake of the 2016 presidential election with allegations that the social media network helped with the spread of fake news that was unfavorable toward Hillary Clinton. Zuckerberg initially fired back at critics, saying the idea that fake news on Facebook influenced the election was a "pretty crazy idea." However, Facebook has since taken steps to address the problem of fake news, introducing fact-checking measures, such as putting a "disputed" tag on stories that are not credible.

The introduction of the Town Hall feature comes at a time when citizens find themselves more engaged with elected officials, barraging them with calls to express their displeasure about a position they've taken.

Image credit: johrling via Flickr Creative Commons