Liberty Leaders | Adopt-a-Legislator
What is the Adopt-a-Legislator program?
In the State of Illinois we vote for State Representatives once every two years, and once every 4 years for State Senators and Constitutional offices like the Governor & Attorney General.
Meeting personally with your legislators or their staff is the most powerful way to get your message to them. Most often Legislators are personally interested in just a handful of public policy issues. On other issues, legislators depend upon input from people whose opinions they respect and trust. Most legislators strive to be responsive to the constituents who elected them to office, and are accountable to them on election day.
That’s where you come in!
Getting Started
Step 1: Locate & Identify your Illinois House & Senate representatives at this website.
Step 2: Contact Brian Costin, at bcostin@illinoispolicy.org informing him of what House & Senate district you are in, and the names of those legislators.
Step 3: Get familiar with your legislator on the issues. Use our 2010 General Assembly Vote Card and see how your legislator voted on the issues. Most legislators will never vote with you 100% of the time. It’s important to recognize them when they vote well, and hold them accountable when they don’t.
How You Can Help
Once you’ve become a District Liaison for the Illinois Policy Institute and “Adopt-A-Legislator” there are many opportunities to help. Our District Liaison can help us by doing ANY of the following tasks.
- Set up an in-person meeting with your legislator at their District office.
- Set up an in person meeting with your legislator in Springfield.
- Join us for Capitol Day in Springfield on January, 5 2011.
- Use the Illinois Policy Institute’s policy research & legislative proposals to make your meetings more effective with your legislator.
- Ask your legislator to sign our Government Transparency Pledge.
- Ask your legislator to sign ATR’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge.
- Forward our weekly compass e-mail to your legislator and friends.
- Write letters to the editor on important issues emphasizing legislators good or bad votes.
- Form a voters club with multiple constituents of district to maximize contact with elected officials.
- Start a Local Transparency Project within your district.
More information on the adopt-a-legislator program to be released soon.
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