Are Virtual Meetings More Equitable? An Evaluation of City Council Meeting Participation in San Diego

Few studies have investigated the impacts of the recent shift to virtual meetings on public participation and no known studies have explored the implications of e-participation on advancing equity in public administration. This study investigates the frequency of nonagenda public comment provided at city council meetings, comparing participation during in-person meetings to participation during virtual meetings. Our analysis, based on five years of data, reveals that overall participation increased when virtual meeting technologies were incorporated. We found that female participation surpassed male participation in meetings that offered virtual participation options. These findings highlight how virtual meeting technology impacts public participation, how it may encourage female participation, and advance gender equity in public administration.