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Communicating with Elected Officials
Communication between community members and elected officials is an important part of democracy. Below, view resources for determining who the elected officials are for federal, state, and local offices.
Please note that UW is a non-partisan entity.
Federal
The following websites for federal elected officials are linked below:
State
The governor of Wisconsin is Tony Evers. Green County falls into one Wisconsin Senate district and one Wisconsin Assembly district. You can use the Wisconsin State Legislature website to identify your Wisconsin senator and representative.
Local
The county board members are listed on the Green County website. This website also has the Green County official directory webpage , which has the contact information for the elected officials at the different levels of government, including county, city, village, and town.
How do I Communicate Effectively with my Elected Officials?
Here are some tips for communicating with elected officials. The key is to establish a relationship, be available, be realistic, and be helpful. And remember — county board members, city council, village board, and town board members are all elected officials, too.
- Don’t feel bad if you don’t talk with the elected official. Aides are top-notch. They write the legislation and make the agency contacts.
- Establish a relationship with your elected officials and their aides.
- Visit with them. Go to office hours and visit their offices when you’re in town. Invite them to visit you when they are in your area.
- Tout your successes. Give them a call, send a newspaper clipping.
- Invite them to events. Even if the elected official cannot attend, s/he may send one of their aides.
- Connected when needed. Remember, elected officials can help with issues regarding the government.
- Respond in a timely manner. If they have questions or want additional information, provide it in a timely manner — get back to them immediately if possible.
- Have others talk about how important your issue is to them.
For a recap of these tips, print the How to Talk so Legislators Will Listen document.doc document.
Questions? Contact:
- Victoria Solomon, Community Resource Educator, Extension Green County at (608) 328-9440 or victoria.solomon@wisc.edu.