Be Successful Contacting Government Representatives

Making Ourselves Heard

Through the course of the day we run into many people complaining about the government and how things are run. Luckily there is a system for us to take our thoughts and opinions to people who will do something about it and it is to call our representatives. Yeah I know, what’s the use, you might say, they will just give lip service and forget about me. The truth is they work for us, let’s make them earn their salaries that come from our paychecks and keep the pressure on them to be more productive on our behalf. This is guide to help get your comfortable and up to speed.

Preparation Tips

Keep it concise- Keep the message simple and concise. A good model to follow is: State the issue, support with facts and then state your goal, such as asking the legislator’s support for a bill.

Stay on Topic- Keep to one issue in each call. If you want to discuss other matters, call back another time. A well-organized and understandable comment means it will be more accurately passed along.

Landing your message- A personal touch makes all the difference. Don’t be afraid to say something positive, it might help your message get through. Think of it as putting a little bit of yourself out there to carry the message to target. Keep it relevant but as authentic as possible.

Provide your information- If you are a constituent of that Member’s district, you will probably be asked to give your name and address so that you can receive a response letter or email.

Your comment becomes part of the public record– Be aware that the letter you send is not private. All correspondence to congressional representatives goes into their constituent-management system, where it is made public record.

Your tone matters- When making your call, be calm and polite. Staffers deal with daily calls with people ranting. They will tune out any callers who yell or use insults and obscenities. Comments of callers who are rude or disrespectful are often thrown in the trash, if they are even written down at all. You want your message to be heard so be respectful and your message will be respected. Avoid emotional arguments, personal attacks, threats of political influence or demands. Thank the staffer for taking your call and let him or her know how you will follow up.

Following up- Decide beforehand how you will follow up. Do you want a phonecall, letter, email in return? Will you call again to follow-up? Tell your representative how you will follow up and have them to agree to getting answers for you by then.

Calling outside your district– Don’t be afraid to call a member of Congressional Leadership, such as the Speaker of the House or Senate Majority Leader, OR a Member of Congress on a certain committee or who has influence over a certain policy matter. However, keep in mind that if you are not a constituent of that Member’s district, the person answering your call may refuse to take your comment. You may then ask them to forward you to your Congressman’s office.

Ways to Contact

Phonecall- When it comes to taking action, the power of a phone call is stronger than that of text, email, Facebook post, or a tweet. Most of the time, the intern will simply log your call into a spreadsheet and a high-level staff will generate a weekly report that contains data such as the number of phone calls, the subject of the calls, and the constituents’ opinions. Instead of calling a Washington office, call your representative’s local district offices. They usually have more staff who can entertain constituents’ calls.

Video or Podcast- Consider making a video or podcast and tagging your representative to get your message across.

Twitter- Tweets are more instantaneous and let senators and congressmen know what constituents are interested in. Social media is effective though when the people are showing a trend in their opinions, then their voices can carry weight.

Emails- Emails are not the most effective means to get a message through. Due to sheer volume of emails, they get grouped together by an algorithm and put into a report.

Letter- Sending a letter to a representative’s local district office is better than sending an email, but not as effective as a phonecall.

Meeting in person- Go to their office with or without making an appointment. You may meet with a staffer, but you will make an impression and will be remembered in your follow-up. Persistence pays off.

How to Call

So, I like to learn a little about the issue so I am acquainted with the overall picture. I take notes on facts. Then, I take a few quiet moments and think about the issue, and then relate it to myself. How does it make me feel? I write that down. For example, that makes me really angry/sad/furious/exhausted/poor/sick/etc…then focus that energy to coming up with 1-3 points to discuss. Then I try to come up with some questions around those so that I sound like I know what I’m talking about and can have a conversation on the off-chance that a staffer actually answers the phone. You can pull out questions by doing your own research.

Now pick up the phone and call. Be civil, but firm. Once you do it a few times, it gets much easier and is a healthy to channel our aggravation, granted we are speaking in a calm, reasonable manner. They say speaking out to the proper channels is more healthy and productive than stuffing our frustration and anger inside of us, feeling defeated. When we stand up and take action, we are telling the Universe that we are an effective force in our world, and that carries weight for all other things in our life.

Public pressure helps create movement. Our calls are documented and compiled on spreadsheets. They are tallied up and looked at by political analysts attempting give their boss an edge. Our calls don’t just sit there untouched. Our voices are incredibly powerful, especially when raised together.

Senate

When you have inquiries or opinions about public policy or legislation or want to request personal assistance, we recommend contacting your state’s senator.

Click here for Directory of Senators