The first step you must take if you wish to be an active and engaged citizen is to know your legislators. Luckily, this is super easy! Before you sign up as a member of OKHPR, you should know what districts you are in so we can connect you to your senate groups! This allows us to quickly and easily mobilize when we have an urgent action alert.
Before we show you how to find your legislator, let’s take a little trip back to US government class so you understand exactly who you are contacting! Each Oklahoma citizen has a number of legislators who represent the citizens in their district. Our founding fathers did not want power in only one person’s hands. They purposely designed our government to split power up between many different people. First, you have your city and county representatives. Next, you have your state legislators which include your state Senator, House of Representative (often just referred to as your Representative or house member), and Lieutenant Governor and Governor. Lastly, you have your federal legislators which include your US Senators, US Representative, our Vice President, and the President. These legislators only work on federal issues and meet in Washington DC. For our purposes, we will mainly focus on STATE legislators! The issues that we focus on (informed consent, medical privacy, health choice, and parental rights) are generally topics that are handled at a state level. Now that you understand who you are getting to know, here is how you find your legislators!
Step 1: Go to https://okhpr.com/find-my-legislators/
Step 2: Enter in your full address
Step 3: View the name and district number of your State Senator and State Representative.
Isn’t that easy?
Alternatively, you can also find them this way.
Step 1: Go to tinyurl.com/OKLegis
Step 2: Enter in your full address
Step 3. Once you have entered your address, the legislators will appear down below. You will have to scroll down to see them. First in the list, is your US Senators, this is not who we need to contact! They work in Washington DC and do not generally deal with the issues we are concerned with, so keep scrolling. Next, you will see your US House member (or sometimes called your US Representative). Again keep scrolling! Lastly is your State Senator and State House. These are the two legislators that you want to build a relationship with! Their district number is listed right below their phone number on this page.
It is very helpful to click on their profile and read a little bit about their background. You probably have more in common than you think! We want to encourage you to build a relationship with them that is deeper than just contacting them to ask for their vote. Call their office and ask to meet with them. Legislators are excited to meet you at the capitol or in your district. Learn about what issues are important to them and inform them about the issues that are most important to you. Remember that politics is a marathon, not a sprint. Each time you talk to your legislator you can give them small bits of information about the topics that you care about. No one learns everything overnight! Over time, your legislators will come to understand and learn why health choice is so important!