Easy ways to get involved

Keep your representatives on speed dial.

When you hear about a bill or issue that's important to you, call and leave your feedback. It only takes about 30 seconds to tell your representative's aide to "Please tell the Senator that I'd like him to vote for the (such and such) bill." Who could be on that speed dial list? Your U.S. Senators, your U.S. Representative, your state senator, your state representative, your local school board member, your state school board member, and perhaps your city councilman, mayor, or county commissioner. (See Find your elected officials to get contact info.)


Keep your representatives in your email contact list.

This is a great option for those who feel uncomfortable expressing an opinion in a phone call, and it creates a written record of your communication for future reference. Good public officials will respond, so you can have that in writing too. Just drop them a line or two when you hear about an issue or bill important to you. (See Find your elected officials to get contact info.)


Attend a School Board meeting or City Council meeting.

It's very educational to attend a school board or city council meeting and see how decisions are made. You can watch the interactions of the Board or Council members and the administration, and get a feel for how your school district or city is run. Then when you have ideas to share or concerns to express, you know who to go to. If you live in northern Utah County, you can find agendas for the school board meetings at the Alpine School District website. Look up your individual city to find the information for Council meetings.

Be warned - school board meetings and city council meetings can be very dry affairs. It's very helpful to read the agenda ahead of time, along with the documents and reports that will be reviewed, so it makes more sense and you know if there's something on the agenda you'd like to comment on.