Getting Involved in Local Politics

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The famous quote “All politics is local” is true. While national and state politicians make decisions and vote on issues that affect people on the large scale, it is your local political scence, such as your city council and local political parties that have a more immediate and personal impact on your daily life.

If you want to get involved in your local political community and make a difference, there are some good places to start.

First, give yourself some time. You’ll need to do some research, make some notes, and organize your calendar.

Start with a call to your county courthouse. Ask to speak to the county clerk. This person will be able to give you contact information for your political party’s local leaders. When you contact your local political leaders, identify yourself, tell them what you are interested in, and then ask how you can help. You will be surprised how easy it is to get involved if you only ask.

Read the local newspapers. Usually local political meetings will be posted in the community calendar section of your local newspapers. Visit the local library. There is often information about political meetings listed here as well.

When you attend the meetings, be sure to take a pen and a tablet so that you can exchange phone numbers and email addresses with people you meet. Ask questions about what activites and events are coming up soon and how you can help.

Consider looking online for local groups, such as through Meetup.com.

Be prepared to get busy! Most of the time, people are happy that there are new people willing to invest time and effort into making a difference.