How to Find Out Who Your Congressman Is

Let your Congressman know how you feel about current policies.

Democracy and representative government in America come with many blessings, and citizen participation is one of them. Although the more than 500 Congressmen and -women who serve in Washington, D.C., wield great power, ultimately they work for you. They serve the pleasure of the people. If they displease the people, the people have the power to remove them. At any time the people have the right to let their Congressmen and -women know how they feel about issues that confront the nation. But with over 500 men and women serving in Congress, finding out which of them work for your state may take a little digging.

Things You'll Need

• Computer with active Internet connection

Instructions

Step 1

1. Log on to your computer and open up a Web browser. In the address bar at the top of the browser enter "Congress.org," and press "enter" on your computer keyboard. This takes you to the homepage of the Congress.org website, which "is a publication of the CQ-Roll Call Group, the largest news organization on Capitol Hill," according to the site. The website exists to educate the people of the United States about the current issues being discussed in Washington, D.C., and to help them get involved by directing them to their representatives in the Capitol.

2. Search for your representatives on the Congress.org website. From the homepage, go to the upper right-hand corner of the screen to the section that reads "Get Involved" at the top and "Find your lawmakers, let them know what you think" beneath it. Enter your five-digit zip code into the blank on the right-hand side, and click "Go." If you live in a zip code that contains only one congressional district, the next page will display the federal representatives and members of government who work for you: the President, the two state Senators and the congressional representatives to the House of Representatives that serve your local district. If your zip code contains more than one congressional district, you will need to enter more information to locate the Congressmen or -women who serves your district.

3. Narrow down your search for your congressional representatives by looking below the results for your zip code to where the page prompts you to enter your full nine-digit zip code or, if you don't know your nine-digit zip code, your complete address information, including street, city, state, and five-digit zip code. Once you enter this information, press "Go" again and the website will take you to your final results page. From your final results page, you can click on any of the government officials listed under your results and be taken to a short biographical and contact information page where you can learn more about them and how to contact them.

Tips & Warnings

• The Congress.org Elected Officials search function allows you to search for your state government officials and federal government officials. The state government search results are automatically retrieved for you when you enter your zip code and address information to search for your federal representatives.

References

• Congress.org: Get Informed, Get Involved