The first step to advocacy is finding out who represents you! Citizens are represented by elected officials at all levels of government. In Richmond, these officials include:

• Local - Mayor, City Council, School Board Member
• State - Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Senator, Delegate
• Federal - President, Vice President, Senators (2), and Representative

Once you know who represents you in these positions, you can then start advocating! The best place to start is using the Who's My Legisltor? tool on the Virginia General Assembly's website.

This website will give you the opportunity to:

• Learn their full name, length of time in office, and full-time profession
• Learn about the demographics of the district and their voting records, committee assignments, and areas of interest
• Look at the bills they have introduced in the past few years; if you find something that interests you, prepare some questions to find out more
• Develop some questions you can ask to gauge his or her knowledge of and interest in your particular issue

At the bottom of the page are resources to learn more about how to engage with legislators. Think about how you prefer to communicate - there is an option for everyone! After identifying your representatives you can write to them (email or traditional mail), call their office, or schedule a meeting with them (virtual or in-person). You can also follow them on social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for updates and other opportunities to engage.

Virginia's Legislature

Within the Commonwealth, our Senate has 40 senators and the House of Delegates has 100 delegates. The City of Richmond is represented by the following members:

Congress

In the United States Congress, the Commonwealth of Virginia has two senators and 11 representatives. Senators are elected by a statewide vote, and House of Representatives members are elected on a districtwide vote. 

Current congressional representatives of Virginia and the City of Richmond (District 4) include: