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Our guides to better citizenship

One of the founding tenets of The Philadelphia Citizen is to get people the resources they need to become better, more engaged citizens of their city.

We hope to do that in our Good Citizenship Toolkit, which includes a host of ways to get involved in Philadelphia — whether you want to contact your City Councilmember about the challenges facing your community, get those experiencing homelessness the goods they need, or simply go out to dinner somewhere where you know your money is going toward a greater good.

Find an issue that’s important to you in the list below, and get started on your journey of A-plus citizenship.

Vote and strengthen democracy

Stand up for marginalized communities

Create a cleaner, greener Philadelphia

Help our local youth and schools succeed

Support local businesses

How to Contact Your Representatives

Find your city, state and federal representatives, and tips on how to contact them — because it's our responsibility to hold them accountable

How to Contact Your Representatives

Find your city, state and federal representatives, and tips on how to contact them — because it's our responsibility to hold them accountable

BY The Philadelphia Citizen

Updated by Diemmy Dang

Aug. 03, 2026

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Want to do something about a Philadelphia issue you care about? Contact your elected representatives. That means your state representatives, your federal representatives, City Councilmembers — anyone elected to make your life better.

Remember, each and everyone of these representatives are working for you and want to hear what you think. And if they don’t — tough luck! They can go find another job to be lackluster in.

Scrolling down to look for your state, federal and city reps. Or, use this handy tool from the Committee of Seventy to figure out who represents you.

Your representatives in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Senators

John Fetterman (D)

Dave McCormick (R)

U.S. House of Representatives

Philadelphia is divided among three congressional districts.

Brendan Boyle (D)

    • 2nd District (Northeast Philadelphia and parts of Bucks County)
    • (202) 225-6111
    • Contact form

Dwight Evans (D)

    • Represents PA’s 3rd District (most of North, Northwest, and Center City)
    • (202) 225-4001
    • Contact form

Mary Gay Scanlon (D)

    • Represents PA’s 5th District (mainly South and Southwest Philadelphia, plus Chester County)
    • (202) 225-2011
    • Contact form

Your representatives in Harrisburg, PA

Pennsylvania State Senate

Philadelphia is represented by the following state senators:

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Your representatives in Philadelphia City Hall

Philadelphia Mayor

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker

Philadelphia City Council

District Council Members

At-Large Members

What to say and how to say it

Email, send a letter, or tag them on social media with your message so everyone can chime in. But from what we’ve learned, the best way to get your message heard is a good, old-fashioned phone call. Lots of phone calls, actually. (You can also use an app like 5calls, which makes it even easier to contact reps. They provide a script based on your location and the issues that matter to you.)

Before you pick up the phone (or hit send), hone your message. You can often find a premade script from advocates for each issue, making it easier to get across your point. Fair Districts PA has a bunch of printable materials.

MORE INSTRUCTIONS ON TAKING CIVIC ACTION

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