4 LETTERS TO ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES. Please read instructions I need to get an A

Description

Letters to Elected Representatives Assignment

The American political system is organized as a representative democracy, in which elected representatives are expected to enact public polices that reflect the will of the public. This requires the elected representatives to know the policy preferences of their constituents (the members of the public whom they represent). One way that constituents can convey their policy preferences to their elected representatives is by sending a letter or email to their elected representatives.

Assignment Description

In this assignment, you will write to four of your elected representatives, requesting from each a specific change in public policy.

Upon successful completion of this assignment, students will “demonstrate a working knowledge of how to access the political process by participating in their rights and duties as citizens.” (SLO #4)

Assignment Instructions
1. Write a letter to each of the following:
-US president.
-US House of Representatives. ( Congressmen Mark Desaulnier)
– California State Assembly. (Assembly Member Buffy Wicks)
– elected representatives in local government (District 1 – John Gioia)
2. Each letter should request a different change in public policy. The letter should NOT be similar to one another at all!

(It should not, for example, be a personal request, such as forgiving your parking tickets.)

3. The recipient of your letter should be an elected representative who has the power to directly influence the policy you want changed.
This requires you to think about issues of jurisdiction (federal, state, local, etc.) and executive vs. legislative powers.
4. Each letter should be at least one single-spaced page in length.
5. Make sure you are writing to officials who are your own representatives, as opposed to officials who represent people living elsewhere.

6. Each letter should explain:
Which issue you are concerned about.
Why this issue is important to you personally.
What specific change in policy you want.
What, specifically, you’d like the recipient of your letter to do to help change the policy. (For example, introduce legislation, co-sponsor a bill, change administration policy, etc.).
7. Each letter must include:
Your name.
Your address (at minimum, the city in which you live).
The name of the person to whom you’re writing.
The elected office of the person to whom you’re writing.
The contact address of the elected official to whom you’re writing. You can find the addresses for your federal and state representatives at www.votesmart.org.
(Links to an external site.)
You can find the contact addresses for your local government representatives on the website of the government body in which they serve (e.g. San Mateo County, City of Belmont, San Francisco Unified School District, etc.).

Grading Checklist
You are responsible for writing a letter to:
The US President
Your representative in the US House of Representatives
Your representative in the CA State Assembly
A local government official elected to represent you.
For each letter, you will receive one point for completing each task on the checklist below:
Contacted the elected official specified.
Official’s name correct.
Official’s office/title correct.
Official’s contact address is correct.
The location where you live (city/town) is indicated.
Official currently represents those residing where you live.
Official has jurisdiction over the issue.
You explained why the issue is important to you personally.
You requested a specific change in public policy.
You requested specific action by the official.
The requested action lies within the official powers of the official.