To impact public policy, an active citizen must be
a player. The first step is to register to vote. Call your
county's election superintendent (listed in the blue pages of the phone
book) and request a voter registration form.
Any person who is eighteen years of age or older,
is a citizen of the United States and who resides in Georgia may register
to vote in this way, unless they have been convicted of a felony and their
civil rights have not been restored.
It was largely people who were not voters that ended
the U.S. war on Vietnam.
Not being eligible to vote doesn't mean you can't
be active in other ways -- read on.
Next, get to know who the other palyers are.
Attend your neighborhod association meetings.
Attend public hearings on issues of concern to you.
Pay attention to Land-use Policies in your community.
Call the clerk of your City Council and County
Commission.
Ask them for a contact list for the members of each
of these bodies.
Next figure out who represents you in the Georgia
General Assembly:
Call the Georgia State Government Information line.
Call and ask how much postage is for a face book.
Write to the House or Senate Public Information Office
State Capitol, Atlanta Georgia 30334.
Ask for a copy of the Face Book
the directory of the members of the General Assembly
of Georgia.
Include a self addressed, stamped envelope with $1.??
in postage.
Ask your county's election superintendent which
district you live in.
For a complete and affordable directory of the
members of Congress, including committee assignments, staff, addresses,
phone numbers, fax numbers, etc.
Check out Capitol
Advantage. (Note: This is a commercial site.)
Be willing to take your case directly to the committee
with jurisdiction over the matter you are concerned with. Yes, it is certainly
nice when we have representation that will carry the ball on our policy
priorities. But being a Green in a state where we're not on the ballot,
where the Republicans control the Congressional delegation and the Democrats
control both chambers of the state legislature, its best to have tactics
beyond holding our breath to get the job done.
