How to contact your Dallas-Fort Worth elected officials
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
People have more power than they realize, especially at the municipal and county levels of government.
Why it matters: City councils, county commissioner courts and school boards vote on policies and how to use tax dollars at least once a month, and often weekly.
- Elected officials seek public input before making decisions.
The big picture: Government entities are legally required to post meeting agendas in advance for the public to review.
- People can sign up to speak during public comment periods at council, commission and board meetings. Plus, you can call and write your representatives to share your opinions.
Between the lines: Sometimes just a handful of very loud people drive public policy discussions.
- For example, a Washington Post analysis of more than 1,000 book challenges found that most were filed by just 11 people.
What they're saying: Dallas County employees would often say, "All it took was eight phone calls to change policies," author Rick Loessberg says of his time as Dallas County planning director.
- "The public would be shocked at how easy it is to make an appointment to see your county commissioner and your council member," he tells Axios.
Yes, but: Not every county has an easily searchable system to identify your representatives.
Meet your elected officials: Collin County residents can find their representatives by searching their address on this map.
Check the agendas: Most cities, counties and school districts post meeting agendas online.
- Collin County Commissioners Court
- Dallas County Commissioners Court
- Denton County Commissioners Court
- Tarrant County Commissioners Court
State representation: Find your U.S. congressperson, state representative, state senator and State Board of Education representative using this Texas lookup tool.
- Track the Texas Legislature's actions and how your representative voted here.