Lawmakers are increasingly hiding from their constituents

In 2014, members of Congress held about 550 town hall events to engage with their constituents during August recess. In 2016, they held around 450. This year, just 180 town halls are scheduled for the recess, and some 30 percent of those will be held by just five lawmakers.

The rationale for retreating to smaller or more private events or moving to a conference call or online venue is simple: It's less messy. Town halls offer angry constituents a space to vent their rage, and they do, often loudly.

For example, Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) has not held a town hall for more than a year. "Since ObamaCare and these issues have come up, the women are in my grill no matter where I go," Brat complained in 2017. "They come up — 'When is your next town hall?' And believe me, it's not to give positive input."

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"People have come to expect disrupters on both sides. And, you know, you just gotta move on and not be flustered and not worry about it," Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) told Politico. The alternative, Jones argued, is not acceptable for public representatives. "It'd be real easy to go talk to only people who love you, but you represent everybody," he said. "You don't need to get locked in your own echo chamber like so many people are doing in this country with their social media."