An informal poll on representation

[oceanchild]

I'm waiting for the state senate to come back from dinner break and bored, and this is something I've been thinking about. I'm putting it in anonymous poll format because I'm not out to embarrass anyone. Just wondering how far off my reality is from everybody else's.

How many of the following can you name?

For where you currently live...

...your US Representative
...the congressional district number (ex: CO-7)
...your state senator
...the state senate district number
...your state representative
...the state representative district number
...the mayor of your town
...your city councilmember
...your two US senators (count one point for each)

Poll answer is the total number you know.

[BonBon]

Know all but the state senate/rep district numbers. (DH and I get into politics though )

[SoonerTexan]

I'm ashamed to say 2...if you count the Representative from my hometown, which is a suburb of where we currently live. I only know the mayor because he just resigned over some scandal.

The sad thing is, I tried to research all this in the most recent election...could find almost nada info and most of what I did find was heavily biased.

[diggitydot]

It's really difficult to just find out basics here, too. When we lived in WA, since they have vote-by-mail they also have the entire state voting pamphlet online and easy to find. Not so much here. I've never received a voter's pamphlet in all the years we've lived and been registered voters in our state. I don't even know if there IS a pamphlet.

[Mrs. MD, Esq.]

...I just moved! No fair!

[DCJenn]

All 10, baby. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the Mayor has lunch in my neighborhood pretty frequently, we're in the middle of a 4-way heated city council seat election (District One!), and my state Representative is also more commonly known around the elementary school as Bella's dad (and they live 5 streets over.) (and Bella has a serious crush on my dude) and who could forget Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn. It was sort of embarrassing- he was the Grand Marshall for the Battle of Flowers Parade this year and as he wound his way through, the silence was deafening. Not exactly a heartfelt welcome to the Senator...

But I grew up in DC and that is the town sport.

Jenn

[SuzySunshine]

My hang up is the numbers, I have no idea what the numbers are

I used to know almost all of them, but w/the recent elections, a LOT of it changed here. Sam Brownback is our Governor now, every single local mayor appeared in an ad for him, and sadly, that's indicative of the politics of the entire area.

[oceanchild]

...I just moved! No fair!

Is it weird that I looked up the congressional districts for every place on our match list? Yeah, probably.

I don't think there's any good reason to know the district numbers, really. But we're working on redistricting right now, and the numbers are thrown around all the time like they matter. So that was kind of why I was curious.

[moonlight]

...I just moved! No fair!

That's my issue as well. If I were back in Texas I could name it off very easy. Maybe give you some state broad of Ed names along with my Justice of the Peace and probably my County Clerk. Oh what can I say... I'm a Poli Sci grad and still get and read Texas Monthly.

[scarlett09]

That's my issue as well. If I were back in Texas I could name it off very easy. Maybe give you some state broad of Ed names along with my Justice of the Peace and probably my County Clerk. Oh what can I say... I'm a Poli Sci grad and still get and read Texas Monthly.

This. If I was back across the river, I could tell you pretty much everything. Somehow we moved to a smaller state and I still can't figure out who's who amongst our politicians.

I would really give myself a 3.5, as I knew the US senators and congressional district. I thought I knew the Congressional rep, but I was thinking of the old guy whose last name is similar to the new guy. So yeah, a 3.5 sounds about right. And I have no clue if they have city councils or mayors here. They are never in the news, so I think they don't exist?

[Vanquisher]

Whew. I am with the majority of the political nincompoops here. In my defense, I always research as much as I can before going to vote.

[Vishenka69]

Even though we moved to PA almost 4 years ago, I still follow NYC politics more and know more players there than here. I just don't think that our local mayor has as much clout as Bloomberg, although I guess I should at least know the Senators.

[Cinderella]

I've lived here too long not to know all the answers to those questions. Also I worked in some capacity the last election day in November. Now if I moved to another state, which I'm crossing my fingers I hope we do come residency, I can't say I would know as much.

[Sheherezade]

I know all of them but the district rep number and the state rep's name. I've met her at an event but I can't recall it now. It helps that we are in a teeny tiny town and I'm a political junkie. We also have our U.S. Rep (LaTourette) living in town so that makes it easier. What doesn't help is that they are rarely who I voted for....