Inspire, Spring 2012

online course options coming soon! 1-888-CEDARVILLE (233-2784) Apply Today! cedarville.edu/msn EarnYour M.S.N. at Cedarville University SARAH MURPHY ’10 DISTRICT DIRECTOR, STATE REPRESENTATIVE 54TH DISTRICT | PALATINE, ILLINOIS I’ve seen commercials, ads, and emails that encourage me to call my congressman. Does that work? What would really happen if I called? Calling your representative is a great way to get involved, and it helps him or her understand what constituents are thinking. What really happens when you call depends on the reason you are calling. 1. If you call simply to ask your representative to vote for or against a bill, your name and number will be passed along to the representative. Most likely you won’t be called back, but your opinion will be considered. 2. If you call for information or would like a meeting, you will be put in touch with a scheduler or a legislative aid. Your representative will do everything in his or her power to meet with you, or a staff member will answer your questions. 3. If you call to voice an opinion on a specific issue, you may receive a call. Sometimes members of the media, action groups, or unions will encourage you to call your representative about a current issue. I worked for a state representative in Illinois who took time to personally return calls to make sure people heard the other side of the issue so they could make an informed decision for themselves. Representatives love to hear from their constituents, whether encouragement or critique. Responses can vary from state to U.S. representatives. State representatives have smaller districts and more time to interact with constituents. That doesn’t mean U.S. representatives won’t respond, but it may not be as quickly or as in-depth. What about form letters and email petitions where you essentially add your name to a scripted message and send it on. Are these effective ways to be heard? I wouldn’t recommend them. Although I haven’t had much experience with email forwards, I dealt with a barrage of form letters when I interned at my U.S. representative’s office. If someone mailed a form letter, we would catalog it and mail that constituent a form letter about that particular issue. Phone calls are still the best way to get in touch with your state and U.S. representatives. You can either speak with a legislative aid and learn more about the issue or schedule an appointment. When you call, you can go into details that a form letter does not allow. You may contact Sarah at slmurphy12@gmail.com . DR. THOMAS MACH, ’88 CHAIR, CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT | CEDARVILLE, OHIO Where can voters find nonpartisan information about candidates and issues? Your county election board will provide information about who is running, what party each candidate is associated with, and what issues are on the ballot. Your state’s secretary of state’s office will do the same for state races. Project Vote Smart (votesmart.org) provides nonpartisan information on candidates and members of Congress. The League of Women Voters (lwv.org) is another nonpartisan group dedicated to registering and educating voters and improving elections and government. Most interest groups produce guides that evaluate politicians regarding their conservative or liberal values. Voters can obtain candidate information based on how they are rated by organizations the voter supports or trusts. Two organizations that attempt to evaluate political issues from a biblical perspective include the Family Research Council (frc.org) and the American Policy Roundtable (aproundtable.org). Is there such a thing as an objective voter guide? Voter guides are biased by their very nature because they are produced, in most cases, by organizations with a particular political purpose. Voters can rely on voter guides to the extent that they know and agree with the organizations they utilize to obtain those guides. There are few short cuts, however, in obtaining reliable information on candidates and really knowing where they stand on important issues. The candidates usually provide in-depth information about their views on key issues on their websites. You may contact Dr. Mach at macht@cedarville.edu .