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.

• How the Government Works


• Who Represents You and How to Contact Them


• State and Local Legislative Process

How the Government Works
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This website is a repository of basic information, resources and historical documents related to American government and politics, with a focus on providing factual, non-partisan information about government to the public..

Who Represents You and How to Contact Them
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.

State Legislative Process and Local Governments

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.