Having access to those in political
power and others in decision-making positions can provide visibility,
credibility and sometimes even a speedy resolution to your issue or problem.
Therefore, it is important to know whom to contact, and how to best persuade
them to rally behind your cause. The following links provide some of the
best information about how to work with officials in power.
For most of us, high school civics class is probably a vague memory. This
is a chance to review some basic information to help you figure out how
to get what you want done by the government.
Free
University
Take a class in American government online for free.
Ben's
Guide
This very simple overview of high school civics is a quick way to look
at the Constitution and important documents, how government agencies work
with each other, review how laws are made, and how the election process
works.
Franklin
Institute Online: American History & Government Hotlist
This is a website intended for government teachers and gives links to
important documents, specific historical events, and government agencies.
ThisNation.com
This website is a repository of basic information, resources and historical
documents related to American government and politics, with a focus on
providing factual, non-partisan information about government to the public..
Now that you know how the government works, find out who represents you.
In your busy day, it can be difficult to keep up with politicians and
their positions on various issues. These are a few places designed to
help you connect with federal, state and local representatives.
Library
of Congress
This is the government's most complete official site for information.
The Library's Government
Web Reources page include an excellent collection of links
to information on the U.S. government and international organizations.
The page also has direct links to webpages on the three branches of federal
government:
- Official
executive branch websites
- Links
to information on Congress
- Official
judicial branch website
Congress
Aside from official information on Congress, this site also provides information
about registering
to vote and details about officials at many levels of government,
including a directory of local
officials. The site makes tracking any representative or
senator's votes easy with its email
vote monitor system. To prepare to contact or meet with Congress,
read the Capitol
Hill Basics page.
USA.gov
This is a huge directory of government resources including links to information
on all levels of U.S. government (federal,
state,
local,
and tribal),
military, and agencies, as well as resources for advocacy groups, labor
unions, and others. One helpful page has an alphabetical
list of U.S. government department and agencies.
State
and Local Government on the Net
This site holds general information about state and local government including
information about state executive departments, boards and commissions,
regional, county, and city government agencies.
League
of Women Voters
LWV's links page allows you to access Rock the Vote, the Universal Voter
Registration Page, and the websites of the major political parties. The
League also provides information about candidates who are running for
office in your area at Vote411.org.
Project Vote
Smart
Enter your zip code in the upper left to be connected to information about
your eleceted officials, where they stand on many issues, and how to contact
them. Categories of information about representatives include biographies,
campaign finance, issue positions, special interest groups, and voting
records.
Politics1
This website is a nonpartisan political guide with a variety of features
such as a news blog, links to political news sites and other resources,
some small databases, and other political miscellany. There are also avenues
to contact political parties, state governments and candidates.
Articles about the legislative process in selected states:
Alabama
(Here is a diagram
of how a bill becomes law, showing how the process generally works in
most states.)
Florida
Indiana
Maryland
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Missouri
New
York
(flow chart)
Oregon
Texas
Virginia
Wisconsin
Links to state and local government websites can be found at State
and Local Government on the Net. |
