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MY
VOICE
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You can get involved in the political process in several ways.
Here are a few of the most common ways to influence the elected
officials that represent you:
1.
WRITE YOUR ELECTED OFFICIAL
What do you want to accomplish by writing a letter to an
elected official?
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TIPS FOR YOUR LETTER / EMAIL
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Be informed about the issue and the position of the official.
Explain how an issue would affect you, your family or community.
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Be specific and provide as much information as possible about
the issue and if you have a proposed solution, state it;
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Get to the point; officials have many demands on their time and
want to serve all constituents as quickly and efficiently as
possible;
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Include your first and last name and your address; a letter
cannot be answered if there is n return address or if the
signature is not legible;
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Use your own words. Avoid form letters and petitions because
they are often responded to with a standard reply. Thoughtful,
factual letter carries more weight.
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2.
WRITE A NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL
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Be sure to get to the point within the first paragraph. A letter
to the editor should be less than 300 words, and an
opinion-editorial (op-ed) no more than 600-700 words;
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Write about what you know; your letter should state your
expertise or personal experience with the issue;
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Newspaper editors are more likely to publish your letter or
op-ed if you refer to an issue currently in the news;
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Newspapers get numerous submissions for print. The best way to
get your letter or op-ed published is to call the paper and ask
for the person who reviews letters and op-eds.
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3.
ATTEND MEETINGS OR HEARINGS
Governmental bodies are required to meet and vote in public. By
attending meetings you will become more informed about local and
state activities. Meetings are held on a regular basis, usually
at least once a month. You will often be able to voice your
opinion at these meetings. Call ahead or go online to find out
the public agency?s meeting date and agenda.
4.
APPLY FOR AN APPOINTMENT
Apply for an appointment to local, state or national boards or
commissions.
Board members and commissioners are appointed by elected
officials. There are thousands of appointed positions at all
levels of government, both paid and volunteer, which need
qualified applicants. A good way to start looking for these
positions is to explore the issues you are concerned about. To
find out about vacancies, contact your local, state or national
elected officials. Often times the vacancies are posted online.
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MY
REPRESENTATIVES!===================================================================================
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In order to ensure that your voice is heard, you must find out
who represents you in the different levels of government:
STATE:
To find out who represents you in the California State Assembly
and Senate, go to www.assembly.ca.gov.
Click on - Find My District.
NATIONAL:
Find out who represents you in the United States Senate
www.senate.gov and in the House of Representatives at
www.house.gov just be entering your zip code.
CALIFORNIA STATE WEBSITE:
Use this site as a gateway to state departments and agencies.
www.Ca. gov
California Legislative Information:
On this site you can look up bill information, legislative
publications and California law.
www.Leginfo.ca.gov.
Secretary of State: Learn how to register to vote and about the election process at
www.ss.ca.gov.
Youth Vote:
View information on elections and state officials and statistics
on youth voting at www.youthvote.org.
Rock the Vote: Learn about issues that affect you and register to vote at
www.rockthevote.org.
Declare Yourself: Find
absentee ballot forms, polling places, view candidate bios and
public service announcements.
www.declareyourself.com.
NCLR:
NCLR is the largest Latino Civil Rights and advocacy
organization in the United States. The website provides Latino
youth information on the steps they can take to get involved in
the political process. There is also information on issues that
may be of concern for Latino youth related to: political
advocacy, economic opportunities, civil rights, education and
health-care issues. www.nclr.org.
National Coalition On Black Civic Participation (Black Youth
Vote):
A youth led organization that seeks to empower Black youth by
education them about the political process and training them to
identify issues and influence public policy through
participation.
www.bigvote.org.
APIAVOTE:
Encourages and promotes civic participation of Asian Pacific
Islander Americans in the electoral and public policy processes
at the national, state and local levels.
www.apiavote.org/youthvote.htm.
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