Get to Know Your Elected Officials

Before you contact your local, state, and/or federal elected officials, it’s good to know who they are—not just their names and addresses but where they stand on issues and their voting record.

There are many helpful online resources available for this, but we recommend Roll Call, which, in addition to identifying your representatives, allows you to:

• Have your representative's votes sent to you electronically,
• Read what other Americans are saying to their elected officials, and
• Create and post action alerts to enlist support from others.

For Illinois legislators, Openlands also recommends the Illinois State Board of Elections searchable database.

Lastly, never overlook the wealth of public information housed at your local library—Openlands strongly supports libraries and librarians and their instrumental role in sharing the information that makes us better citizens.