If You’re Unhappy About the Law, Complain Loudly and Often
Call your local state representative! I constantly give my clients this advice. Very often, the result you get in a family law case in court depends not so much on you or your lawyer’s performance but upon THE LAW … the LAW that is written every day by your local state representatives and state senators. Let me be clear here, I am not talking about your representatives in the United States Congress; while they get the most publicity, they make federal laws, which often have little to do with your family law matter. Family law issues, for the most part, are handled by state laws, and they vary from state to state.
The Georgia General Assembly, like the United States Congress, is bicameral, meaning there are two legislative bodies, the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate. The confusing bit, however, is figuring out who your representatives are based on where you live. The General Assembly (“GenAss”) website is grossly unhelpful in this regard (something you should also complain about to your state representatives, whenever you find them). Shockingly, the only helpful information from the GenAss is figuring out who your FEDERAL representatives are in the UNITED STATES CONGRESS. (Just FYI, your United States Senators from Georgia are Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, and your representative depends on your gerrymandered congressional district.)
To start figuring out who represents you, you can show up on the first Tuesday in November wherever it is that you’re supposed to vote and try to take notes off the ballot. You can also look on your voter registration card, if you have even the smallest inkling where you might have last seen that. The GenAss also suggests trekking over to your local library’s reference section, where I am certain the State Senate District and Georgia House District maps are prominently displayed.
Continuing in true bureacratic style, the GenAss provides a phone number for the Secretary of State’s Office (404-656-2881). I called this number with no real expectation that I would get to talk to anything other than a computer automated system. To my surprise, a nice young man answered the phone on the first ring. He promptly transferred me to the “Elections Division.” Once in the “Elections Division,” a nice young woman promptly answered. When I told her I wanted to find out who my elected officials were, she said she couldn’t help me and advised me to call the Cobb Elections Division (770-528-2581).
I called the Cobb Elections Division and went to their website. Like the GenAss, the website was largely unhelpful. There are 33 different voting districts for Cobb County, and the number of the district depends on what type of elected official you are voting for. I am not joking. For example, if I am voting for my United States Congressional Representative, I am in either District 6, 11, or 13. For the State Senate, I am District 6, 21, 32, 33, or 37. For the Georgia House, try Districts 32-45. For the Cobb County Commission, choose from Districts 1-4, and for the Cobb County School Board, choose from Districts 1-7. If you have unlimited time on your hands, you can randomly select a district, open the map and look for your house.
In my law practice, I like to give clients both the short answer and the long, complicated answer. I usually provide the “short answer” first to save time if they lose interest. The short answer for figuring out your state elected representative is:
1) Go to google.
2) Search “Your County Name” and “elections.”
3) Go to the website, find a phone number, and talk to a person.
Then, and this is the important part, call your elected official or send them an email. Rest assured, I will be sending a copy of this blog article to Pat Dooley and Steve Thompson. If you don’t get a response, call back. Send a letter. Make your complaint known … because it’s important … and because you don’t do yourself or anyone else any good sitting around complaining about the law you don’t like.