Citizenship

Be an informed, involved citizen!

     Another passion of mine is politics, specifically local politics.  I'm a firm believer in the strength of American Democracy, and I hope that everyone in my community is, as well.  I believe that being a US citizen means much more than just existing.  Protecting our democracy means participating in it.  It is our responsibility not just to hold our elected officials accountable, it is also our responsibility to participate in meetings, show up to events, and to inform ourselves using genuine, helpful resources.

     To that end, I have assembled this page to help newly of-age voters learn how to participate and gain access to information.  Anyone can use the websites below to learn more about candidates who are running in their area.  These are all non-biased, non-partisan groups that want to help YOU make informed choices about your government!

Registering in Illinois can be done ONLINE!  Just click the link above

For citizens of Rockford, IL, these links are for you!

How do I know who/what to vote for??

     All too often, I hear young people (and even some old people like me) say such things as, "I don't vote because I don't even know what I'm voting for," or I hear, "It's too difficult to prepare to vote, so I just vote one-party."  When I hear these things, my heart breaks a little bit...  In today's internet-driven world, it's actually SUPER easy to inform ourselves not only of our ballot and election system, but also about the issues, candidates, and ideas!  With that in mind, below, I've listed a few steps that any voter can take before election day to be sure they know how to vote when they walk into the booth.

For National Elections...

How do I get involved?

   Many of my friends, acquaintances, and students feel that the government is some vague entity, far-removed from our day-to-day lives.  While that may be true, to some extent, I believe that we must all remember that our government is OUR government.  We, the People, are in charge.  We are responsible for electing officials that will do the best job for us and our community.  However, that means that we must actively participate in the functioning of our government every day, not just on election day.  Below, I've listed some very simple ways to get involved; choose one or choose many...  These are the jobs of citizens:

For State and National government...

Suffice to say, there are myriad ways citizens can get involved, and with a minimal amount of effort.  We are all busy, but we should never be too busy to do our civic duty and participate in our government.  Another old saying goes, "We get the government we deserve."  It's up to us...  What kind of government do you want? 

Non-Partisan Informational Resources