Be an informed voter
The United States is a republic. That means we elect people to represent us in government. They pass laws and decide how to spend public money on our behalf.
Do you know who represents you? You can look up your federal and state elected leaders here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/
Federal
The Congressional tab will display your federal representatives. These elected leaders work on federal laws and budgets that affect the whole country.
There are two U.S. Senators representing all of Washington:
The state is then divided into congressional districts (CDs), with one U.S. representative per district. There are four congressional districts that include parts of King County:
- 1st CD: U.S. Representative Suzan DelBene
- 7th CD: U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal
- 8th CD: U.S. Representative Kim Schrier
- 9th CD: U.S. Representative Adam Smith
U.S. representatives also use the title Congressman or Congresswoman.
You can look up your congressional district and federal representative here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/
State
The Legislative tab displays your state elected officials. These elected leaders work on laws and budgets that affect just Washington state.
There are two state representatives and one state senator for each state legislative district (LD). There are 17 state legislative districts that include parts of King County.
You can look up your state legislative district and state representatives here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/
County
We also elect people to represent us on the King County Council. They pass local policies and budget that affect just King County.
The county is divided into nine districts.
You can look up your councilmember here: https://kingcounty.gov/council/councilmembers/find_district.aspx
Stay in touch
Relationships matter in civic engagement. Once someone takes office, contact them. Let them know what you care about. You can arrange a meeting, or just send a note. A really easy way to stay engaged is to sign up for action alerts. When you respond, an email goes out to your elected officials about the issue you care about.
Advocacy tip: Edit action alerts to make them your own. Share something about yourself and why the issue affects you, personally.
- Sign up for alerts from The Arc - Washington State here.
- Sign up for alerts from The Arc - United States here.
Here is a guide to help you draft a letter or provide testimony:
