How to “Get to Know” your State Legislator

For many people, talking with an elected official or candidate for public office can be intimidating, but it shouldn’t! Remember, members of the state legislature are just regular people – they work as nurses, teachers, farmers, and small business owners in your area. Your legislators represent you and they are interested in your thoughts and opinions. It’s important that you tell them what issues are important to you and your district.

This November, all 134 seats of the Minnesota House of Representatives are up for re-election. This is an important time for elected officials - and a great time to introduce yourself and even get involved! Over the next several months, incumbents and challengers will be working hard to secure votes, so there will be plenty of opportunities to interact with the candidates. This is a great time to start building relationships with your elected officials – which will be invaluable to your cause at the State Capitol next year. Some of the easiest ways to get involved include:

• Volunteer to help out on a campaign. Pass out campaign literature during a parade or even just in the neighborhood for an hour or two. Or, help to pass out lawn signs or send out mailers. Three representatives in particular, Jim Abeler, Patti Fritz, and Kim Norton, will be very important to the MATA in 2009 and have tough elections ahead of them. They would greatly appreciate all the help they can get!

• Ask your legislator if they’d like to grab a cup of coffee sometime and talk about your issue. This is a great way to educate elected officials about the issues important to you.
• Make a personal financial contribution to their campaign – it doesn’t have to be large! And you can even get the money back! In Minnesota, when you donate $50 to a political party or candidate ($100 for a married couple), you can receive a full refund from the state. See http://www.cfboard.state.mn.us/publicsubsidy/conrefund.htm for more information.
• County fairs are also a great place to meet your elected officials and their challengers over the summer months.

Athletic trainers are located across the state, and make up an important part of the health care team – every local legislator should know who their local athletic trainer is! To find out who represents you, go to the following website and enter your home address:

Minnesota District Finder

If you ever have any questions about legislators, the legislative process, or the MATA legislative proposal, please feel free to contact your MATA executive board or your government relations team.

Emergencies in Athletics III