How to use GPS To Find Your Elected Official
Your tax dollars pay Politicians' salaries. They're paid to represent you - not their donors.
Why is it so hard to find out who your elected officials are? And call when they aren't doing a good job?
Political district boundaries can be confusing. State House Reps, State Senators, Congressional reps, Governors, State Attorney Generals and Senators all have different districts. Redistricting (re-drawing political boundaries) makes it even harder to find your political rep.
GPS makes it easy to find all your elected reps from a phone or laptop. Google Maps, for instance uses GPS to give you directions. We used GPS functionality in this free app to help identify the political reps for any spot in the U.S. The app is easy to use and you can even call your rep with just one click. (Political boundaries and elections can change the reps, so please check with your local officials for the latest information.)
This app includes information on 100 Senators, 50 State Attorney Generals, 50 Governors, 426 Congressional reps by state. And 1,964 State Senators and 5,443 State House Reps.
How GPS can help you hold your elected official accountable
GPS (Global Positioning System) uses satellites to determine your location. Google and Apple Maps use GPS to give you driving directions. On laptops your internet service provider can usually figure out your location based on your computer's IP address. Click here to see your current location based on where you are using your computer.
This free Democracy Labs app is built with esri software, publicly available data and state legislature data courtesy Scott Kaplan.
There are Laptop or Phone versions of the app, although you can use either app on any device. Once you've located your rep click on the phone number next to their name to call them immediately.
Call Your Rep
"I know that calling your elected officials (or calling strangers on the phone in general) sounds difficult or nerve-wracking, but it's really easy and simple. When you have something that you care about in your community, and especially if you've heard that there is an opportunity for your elected representative to take action — whether through a vote, statement, or co-sponsoring of a bill — make a call.
What's going to happen is one of their staffers is going to pick up, and you can simply tell them, in a minute or two, what it is you care about. Use everyday language. For example: “Hey, I saw this thing in the news and it really matters to me. I'm asking that the representative/the senator/the congresswoman takes action to prevent this from happening.”
You can be as specific or as general as you want. You can even ask questions about what the representative's position is or what they might be able to do about it. Next, the staffer will probably ask you for your zip code and maybe your name to verify that you live within their district. Then they'll say thank you and you'll both hang up. It's that simple." - GoodGoodGood
TakeAway: Your tax dollars pay your elected rep's salary. Give them a call to hold them accountable. GPS can help
Deepak
DemLabs
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