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Virginia Almanac Excerpt - Example from South-Western Virginia

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This is an excerpt from a document, compiled by Toni-Michelle Travis which provides a description of Virginia State Senators and Delegates, as well as their records and districts.

Here is an example from a town in the south-western region of Virginia and all of the representatives that one constituent might have. By entering an address at Who's My Legislator, students can find out who their representatives are, and then use this resource to find out more important information about them. Students can use this as a resource to find out information about their own representatives such as personal background, campaign expenditures and especially legislation that they have sponsored.

How might this information be useful in participating in the political process? How might this information be used to influence elections? Does knowing a candidate's religious affiliation or occupation affect whether you might vote for them? Why?

*Please note that this document is from 2008 and some representatives may no longer hold the same office. For example, Robert F. McDonnell is no longer Attorney General (as of 2009).

Source: Toni-Michelle C. Travis, The Almanac of Virginia Politics, 2008 (Fairfax, George Mason University, 2008).