Checklists

Below you will find checklists to help you keep track of where you are in your goals.
They are divided by level and in each there is an area for the requirement, the number of requirements you must complete for your level, a box for you to mark when it is completed, and a "talley area" for you to talley where you are in completing the requirement (ie: if you have 7 Gen J registrations you can make seven points: IIIIIII).

 Hope these help you on your way to your goal!

Statesman Checklist
Signer Checklist
Patriot Checklist
Activist Checklist
Citizen Checklist

If you are interested in seeing how the levels build on each other, check out the breakdown of the requirements of each level here: Ben Rush Progression. This is a different way to look at the program, for example if you have completed Citizen, then you have referred one person to GenJ, you need to refer 2 more people in order to meet that part of the requirements for Activist, then you have to recruit 7 more to reach Patriot, and then 5 more for Signer, and another 5 for Statesman. so 1+2+7+5+5=20. which is what is the required number of referrals for statesman.This approach breaks down the Ben Rush program into small bites, which can help to make it less daunting.

Verification Forms
These are forms you MUST fill out for different requirements.
Take the voter registration/voter address update forms with you to your location. You will need people to sign them.
On the last day that you volunteer at an organization, you will need your supervisor to sign the volunteer hour form.
Your mom can sign the public meeting, lecture/seminar, and performance forms.
Once they're filled out, you need to either fax them to me or mail them to me, and I will put them towards your points!

Voter Address Update Form
Voter Registration Form
Concert-Musical Performance Form
Lecture-Seminar Form
Public Meeting Form
Volunteer Hours Form
Club Form
Petition Signature Form

Example of a letter to your legislator
This letter is on a bill that was being passed in Senate. It is a perfect example of what a letter to your legislator should look like.
Please keep in mind, that legislators DO listen to their constituents. Letters should be persuasively written with a clear thesis as to how you want your legislator to respond to an event, vote on a bill, or react to a court decision. You letter should not be a reaction to something they did. After all, they can't do much to undo something they did.

Example of a letter to your editor
Letters to the editor should be written to the EDITOR or readership of the paper. If you are writing it to your editor, it will most likely be a reaction to something that appeared in the paper or an issue. For example, if the paper printed an article about abortion that you didn't agree with write back with your opinion. If you are writing to the readership, it should be persuasively written to encourage them to action or to change their mind. Here is an example of the latter that I found in my local paper: http://www.loudountimesmirror.com/letter/1533/.

Every newspaper has a section for these. Read the ones in your paper to get a grasp for what it should look like. It is important to remember who your audience is (other local citizens) and who it is not (your legislators). Also keep them short, newspapers have limited space, respect that.