You hear the headlines. You might even know the names. But do you feel like
you really understand politics?
Lindsay Zizumbo is the Internships Program Manager for the Hinckley
Institute of Politics. She offers a few ways to wrap your brain around the big,
seemingly complicated, political world.
· Stay informed with a variety of media sources.
-Read the paper, watch the news, and listen to the radio.
-It is very important to balance the media outlets. News sources often filter
or slant their reporting, reading multiple sources helps provide well rounded
information.
-A few personal favorites include: NPR’s Daily News Round Up, Roll Call,
CNN, State Legislative Website, SL Tribune’s Political Cornflakes (a
clearinghouse for all kinds of intriguing political tidbits), and (let’s be honest,
here!) John Stewart and Steven Colbert provide the comedic relief to the
process.
· Attend Hinckley Forums
-Hinckley Institute holds approximately 70 Hinckley Forums featuring local,
national, and international political leaders and panels. All forums are open
to the public and focus on hot button issues.
· Join the Real Women Run Coalition
-Real Women Run – Find Your Voice is a collaborative nonpartisan effort to
educate women in the political process. We urge women to get involved in
the process at many different levels, by becoming a delegate, political
advocate, running for office, or joining a public board or commission. You
can join our social networking or day long training events. It’s a fun way to
spend time with like-minded women, and digest a lot of information in a
little amount of time.
. To this note – join a public board or commission. This is a great way to
get involved from an angle of an issue important to you. You can also get an
insider’s view of how the system works.
. Come to our delegate training and be a delegate.
. Attend community and town hall meetings. Most state and federal reps
hold town hall meetings – they provide a great chance to hear their views and
shake their hands. Community meetings on a variety of topics are held
throughout the state. If you have a community issue or interest, attend the
meeting.
· Know your representatives
-Go to Vote.utah.gov and you can put
in your address to find all your
representatives.
-Being informed about the bills they are sponsoring and the decisions being
made starts with knowing who they are. From there it’s simply following
their website, reading the paper, and contacting them.
-During the legislative session you can visit the leg website and see all the
committee hearings on agenda for the day, floor schedule of bills, and find
how representatives vote.
Lindsay Zizumbo is the Program Manager for Washington D.C., State and
Local internships at the Hinckley Institute of Politics. In 2003, Lindsay served
a Hinckley Internship in Congressman Matheson’s Washington, D.C. office.
Since her internship, she has worked extensively for Congressman Jim
Matheson (D-UT), serving as the District Outreach Coordinator, Campaign
Manager, and Field Director. Lindsay was also the Field Director for Utahns
for Public Education during the school voucher referendum campaign and a
Legislative Organizer for the Utah Democratic Party. Lindsay graduated from
the University of Utah in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science
and a minor in Economics. She is an active triathlete and has successfully
completed three Ironman races. She is married to Devin Wilson and is a Utah
native.
Add comment