A familiar voice may be fake. So may the crowd.
A scammer can impersonate someone you trust. Unverified bots and bad actors can multiply accounts to push agendas, drown out neighbors, and make public conversation hard to trust.
People can disagree in a room they can trust.
Verified standing and bounded roles could let residents debate a local decision with one another and their elected officials. People should know when an artificial agent is present, without giving up private details to take part.