Contact your representatives/how laws are made

Find your elected officials by clicking here: Enter your address

The United States is a representative democracy. This means that we elect representatives to pass and administrator the laws. Therefore the representatives need to hear from all of us. 

• We as citizens need to make our wishes known to them.  
• What do we as citizens do to connect our government. 
• Scroll to the bottom of the page to find contact for area governmental officials

Refresh your memory from high school Civics class:

Not sure how a bill becomes law!
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Even more details about laws and regulations 

In 2015 LWV Park Rapids presented a program on this topic. One of the presenters, Nancy Larson had 18 years experience as executive director and lobbyist for MN Association of Small Cities
 and 6 years lobbying for Coalition of Greater MN Cities.

 Her main advice on how to be a successful advocate was:

• Care about your issue
• Speak in down-to-earth terms
• Listen to, as well as talk to, your legislators
• Have facts supporting your issue but understand the merits of the other side
• Have a sense of humor
• Don’t give up 
• Don’t get belligerent

Below is Nancy's list of ways to contact your governmental officials and her evaluation of their effectiveness

E-mail is easy, effective, hard to ignore
     Most legislators check it every day
     They will sometimes answer personally, but could have staff do it
Phone calls to the office are least effective
     Your name, side on the issue will be recorded
      Legislator may be given your name, but most likely just the number of people calling on each side
      Calls to their home have more of an impact (at the state level)
Letters are harder to ignore and very effective
     On big issues, they are kept and can pile up
     They are more likely than E-mails to be put in files and kept for future reference.  Today, fewer people send them so they’re noticed
Letters to the editor can be part of strategy
They will be seen by both legislators and the public, helping to sway both to your side

Other ways to express your wishes to elected officials:

• Attend local town hall meetings.
• Visit their office at the capitol.
• Another way to contact National Officials is to visit their local offices and talk to their local staff.

Click here to view a power point from Nancy Larson

Tips from LWVMN on how to lobby your legislator

( Please double check to make sure these are your representatives: go to Vote411, put in your location and click "show districts". https://www.vote411.org/ballot) 

Amy Klobuchar (DFL)
U.S. Senate
United States Senator DFL Amy Klobuchar Minnesota
http://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/

Tina Smith (DFL)
U.S. Senate
click here to go to Senate form to contact Senator Smith

Pete Stauber  (GOP)U.S. House - 8
United States Representative Pete Stauber district 8
145 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC  20515
Phone: (202) 225-6211
Pete Stauber email form:  https://stauber.house.gov/contact/email-me

Michelle Fischbach
US House -7 
1004 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2165
Michelle Fischbach email form: https://fischbach.house.gov/contact

Office of Governor Tim Walz & Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan
130 State Capitol
75 Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155
Telephone:  651-201-3400
Toll Free:  800-657-3717
use the form at the end to contact the governor


Matt Grossell (02A, R)
371 State Office Building *
St. Paul, MN 55155
651-296-4265
Toll Free: 800-920-5867
E-mail: rep.matt.grossell@house.mn.gov

Steve Green ( R)
MN Senate 2
95 University Avenue W.
Minnesota Senate Bldg., Room 2319
St. Paul, MN 55155
651-297-8063
E-mail: sen.steve.green@senate.mn

Paul Utke (R)
MN Senate - 5
95 University Avenue W.
Minnesota Senate Bldg., Room 2403
St. Paul, MN 55155
651-296-9651
E-mail: sen.paul.utke@senate.mn
sen.paul.utke@senate.mn

Rep. Krista Knudsen (R)
District: 05A
225 State Office Building *
St. Paul, MN 55155
651-296-9918
Toll Free: 888-682-7179
E-mail: rep.krista.knudsen@house.mn.gov

Hubbard County Commissioners:

David De La Hunt
District 1
18602 Estate Drive
Park Rapids, MN 56470
218-616-4029
Email
(up for election 2026)

Charlene Christenson
District 2
26390 Island Air Drive
Park Rapids, MN 56470
218-616-2181
Email
(up for election 2024)

Tom Krueger
District 3
12621 Bethel Trl
Nevis, MN 56467
218-616-4069
Email 
(up for election 2026)

Steve Keranen
District 4
 27415 240th St.
 Nevis, MN  56467
 218-616-1976

  Email
 (Up for election in 2024)

Ted Van Kempen
District 5
22091 County 118
Laporte, MN 56461
218-616-4073
Email
(up for election 2026)

Check you county website for your township officers: