My name is Kristi.
I'm just an ordinary person. I don't have any special training in politics or government.
I do have a little bit of experience doing ordinary citizen things - I vote in every election, I call and email my legislators and other officials, I sometimes call or write to other voters to remind them when and where to vote, and I sometimes make donations to political organizations and candidates.
Most of this is pretty new for me. I have always been a voter, but for most of my life, I rarely contacted my legislators or did much else besides vote.
But over the past few years, I've been feeling like it's more and more urgent to address some of the major issues we face ... and at the same time, I've been more and more inspired by some of the people running for office. It's so nice to be excited about a candidate.
When I talk to my family and friends, though, a lot of times they say how great they think it is that I'm doing these things, but they mostly don't make calls or write emails themselves. It's not that surprising; most of us don't.
But it feels good to make your voice heard, to advocate for what you believe in - especially if you're lucky enough to have representatives who largely share your views.
Whether your representatives agree with you or not, though, it's important to let them know what you think the government should do. It's helpful to them to know whether the people they work for think they're on the right track or not.
So I put together this site - mostly just a collection of links, but with a little bit of step-by-step introductory info - for anyone who might like to get a bit more involved.
I want you to know it's easy, and very doable - and it's your right. Democracy is government of the people, by the people, for the people. The more input you can give the people who represent you, the better chance we have of making the government work well for everyone.
I'm so glad you visited the site.
If you'd like to find out more about how to get started, take a look at the first two steps: first, download the spreadsheet (if you want), and then find your representatives.