do something good: who represents me?
WHO REPRESENTS ME?
You may not know this… but I’m sort of big into politics. Back in the day I got my BA in Political Science. Then I went and got my MPP in Educational Policy. And today, I’m a bureaucrat working for the state of California! While I’ve become more of a policy wonk than the political junkie of my youth, I’m still passionate and connected to the issues that matter! And after the doozy of 2016, I’d love it if everyone else was too! Therefore, I’d like to encourage you to make 2017 the year that you become an active participant in our representative democracy!
Do you know who your three representatives (2 Senators & 1 Congressperson) in Washington, D.C. are? How about your state government representatives?
If you do… GOOD FOR YOU!
If you don’t… here’s your chance to find out!
NEXT STEPS
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Print out one of the PDFs above. Fill it out with the names, e-mail addresses and phone numbers of all of your representatives. CLICK HERE for links to all of the information you’ll need!
Now why would you want to know this? Your representatives are in office to serve the interests of their constituents. It’s your job to share your opinion on important legislation with them!
And recent history has a story to share with us… Republicans in Congress tried to pull a bit of wool over the eyes of the public by weakening the Office of Congressional Ethics. Well, less than 18 hours after that news broke, offices were flooded with calls and they reversed course.
This cannot be overstated. One call to your congressman is worth 1,000 angry tweets. https://t.co/45EYyeTkRM
— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) January 3, 2017
This is the power of your representative voice! What do you say when you call? Take this wonderful advice from The Leadership Conference:
It is important to let them know why you are calling and what issue you are calling about. You will sometimes be able to speak directly to your senator or representative, but more often you will speak to a staff person in the member’s office. This person keeps track of how many people called and their positions on issues, and provides a summary to the member. Be assured that your call does count, even if you are not able to speak directly to your senator or representative.
It is usually most effective to call your own senators and representatives, as each is primarily concerned with residents from his or her district. However, you may occasionally find it useful to call other members, if they are on a certain committee or in a particular position to help get a bill passed.
If you’re still a little shaky on what to do our say, you can also download and reference the awesome 21-page guide, “Call the Halls” by Emily Ellsworth!
EXTRA CREDIT
Enter this information as a contact in your cellphone! Then you can call your representatives whenever you need to without the extra research hassle!
One Comment
Kim Woodward
Thank you so much for sharing this. I have been hesitant and nervous to do this, but it’s time. Appreciate the push and the resources.