Citizen Participation
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Citizen Participation: Channeling Your Opinion
The members of the Virginia General Assembly are elected by the citizens of Commonwealth. Citizens are responsible for registering to vote, researching the issues and the candidates, and exercising their right to vote on Election Day. In addition, citizens are responsible for engaging in the legislative process beyond the polls.
Legislator Contact Information
During the General Assembly session, Senators and Delegates can be reached at their offices on Capitol Square. When the General Assembly is not in session, legislators should be contacted at their district offices. The most up-to-date contact information for Senators and Delegates is available on the Virginia General Assembly website.
If you do not know the Senator or Delegate representing your locality, the “Who’s My Legislator?” feature on the Virginia General Assembly website will help you locate the elected officials who represent the district in which you reside.
Legislative Process
Familiarize yourself with “How a Bill Becomes a Law” located in this publication. A basic understanding of the legislative process will help you effectively express your ideas. Visit the Legislative Information System (L.I.S.) to track legislation and review committee agendas prior to a meeting.
Contact your Senator or Delegate before the General Assembly takes action on a particular issue. Express your views by testifying before a legislative hearing conducted by a standing committee or interim study group. You can also voice your opinion by telephone, letter, or social media pages.
Correspondence With Your Legislators
Legislators want to hear from their constituents. Writing an effective letter or email is a way to correspond with a legislator. Be sure to write the legislator who represents you. Mass mailings (email or letter) are not as effective as personal correspondence.
Be sure to include your contact information. Even in an email, include your full name, home address, phone number and email address. You may not get a response from a legislator, if you do not include your contact information.
The date you are writing the letter or email.
Keep the letter or email brief, to the point, and no more than one page.
Be courteous and do not use vulgar or profane language.
Clearly state the purpose of your correspondence with an example of the situation you are trying to address.
The letter should address one issue.
Thank the legislator for taking the time to read the letter.
If you are writing about a specific bill or resolution include the bill or resolution number. Listed below are the written formats for bills or resolutions that should be included in the email or letter:
Senate Bill: “SB___”
Senate Joint Resolution: “SJR___”
Senate Resolution: “SR___”
House Bill: ”HB___”
House Joint Resolution: ”HJR___”
House Resolution: ”HR___”
Qualifications to Vote and Serve
Click on each role to learn about the qualifications.
Voters
In order to vote in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a person must:
be at least 18 years of age
be a citizen of the United States, of Virginia and the precinct in which they shall vote
be a registered voter prior to the election
and, not have had their voting rights revoked for being a convicted felon or being deemed mentally incompetent.
Senate and House Pages
For each annual session of the General Assembly, Senators and Delegates appoint Pages in order to provide young people, ages 13-14, the opportunity to observe and participate in the legislative process. In the Senate, the Clerk of the Senate also makes page appointments. In the House, the Speaker makes all page appointments.
Senators and Delegates
In order to become a Senator or Delegate, a person must be at least 21 years of age, an eligible voter, and reside in the district for which they are seeking to represent.
Governor
To become Governor, a person must be a citizen of the United States, be at least 30 years of age, and be a registered voter and resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia for at least five years prior to election. Once elected, a Governor may not serve consecutive terms.
Lieutenant Governor
The qualifications for becoming Lieutenant Governor are the same as for becoming Governor; however, once elected, there is no limit to the number of terms a Lieutenant Governor may serve.
Attorney General
The Attorney General of Virginia must meet the same qualifications as the Governor of Virginia and also possess the qualifications required for a judge of a court of record. Like the Lieutenant Governor, there is no limit to the number of terms an Attorney General may serve.
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