This week, many Caltech undergraduates will no doubt be filling out absentee ballots and mailing them across the country. Perhaps some will influence a close election for a House seat in Maryland, Senator in Missouri, or Governor in Florida. No matter which state you're voting in, I hope you will make an effort to learn about the issues. We at Caltech are certainly among the more intelligent citizens of this country, and casting an informed vote is a privileged responsibility.

However, as informed as we might be on the issues, most people have only a vague idea of what our representatives actually do in Washington, DC. This summer, I had the opportunity to learn about this firsthand, serving as an intern in the office of Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). Although there was a competitive application process, the position was unpaid. However, unlike my fellow interns from lesser schools like Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, and UCLA, I received a stipend from the Dean's office at Caltech courtesy of the Arnold O. Beckman Political Internship. Part of that grant requires me to share my experience with other students, and there's no better way to do that than in the Tech before Election Day.

On Monday, July 8 this summer, I arrived at Senator Feinstein's office with eight other interns and we were given a quick tour: Senator Feinstein's office employs about 50 people and is divided into two departments: legislative and administrative. The legislative department is in charge of researching proposed bills, writing new laws, and informing constituents about current issues. The administrative department is divided into a press office, scheduling office, and mail room. They deal with constituent and press requests and sort through the hundreds of letters sent to the Senator each day. During my internship, I advised the Senator on a bill regarding Syria, contacted the State Department to find information about al Qaeda members, drafted a speech about San Francisco, helped a non-profit organization gain recognition from USAID, coordinated a joint letter to Kofi Annan, and much more. More importantly, I learned a lot about how our government works.

Did you ever wonder if it's worth it to call your representatives to voice your opinion? Well, I spent many hours answering the phone at the front desk, and I can tell you exactly what happens: During the prescription drug debate, we received several hundred calls a day from seniors across California. They would say, "Tell Senator Feinstein to please support a Medicare prescription drug benefit at least as good as the Graham-Miller bill." For each of these calls, we would record the caller's name, their comment, and their zip code. At the end of the day, a staff member would prepare a tally that would go to the Senator's desk, noting that 248 callers were in favor of Graham-Miller and 15 were against. We kept tallies like this on every single major issue, and kept track of them through an electronic database. As a Techer, I marveled at the way technology was making democracy more efficient.

How about letters to the Senator? After being heavily irradiated, letters came to the office and were hand-sorted by issue. Special requests like Eagle Scout recommendations, tour requests, and invitations are sent to administrative staff. Inquiries about bills and other general information are handled by the appropriate staff in the legislative department. Every one of these letters is read and a response is sent. The most interesting category of mail however, is that of case work.

Constituents can also call in with case work, and the lengths to which the Senator's office would go to respond to these requests is rather surprising. I personally helped a man in a custody dispute with his Israeli wife, a professor trying to get a visa for a Russian student, and a mother worried about her son, who was arrested in Pakistan for possession of opium. When a Californian had a problem with the IRS, Medicaid, or the State Department, our office would always respond. Sometimes there was little we could do, but every request was acknowledged.

You might not think much of it, but each American citizen has three friends in Washington. The jobs of Senators and Congressmen are not only to represent your views, but to serve your needs, especially with regard to the federal government. Did you know that Congressional offices can arrange special tours of the Capitol, the FBI, and the Library of Congress? So when you need help or when you're planning a trip to Washington, don't hesitate to contact your representatives. If you come on a Thursday, be sure to attend Senator Feinstein's constituent breakfast.