Contacting Elected Officials

A realistic (if not cynical) primer from the Indivisible Guide on how to sculpt your communications with elected officials for greatest impact: https://www.indivisible.org/guide/your-member-of-congress/


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Calling:

Write your own brief script if it helps (it usually does for most folks). Tips adapted from here: http://usa.oceana.org/climate-and-energy/script-calling-mayors-town-councilmembers-and-city-commissioners
Greeting: Hello <TITLE OF ELECTED OFFICIAL,> my name is <FULL NAME> and I live in <COMMUNITY.>

Opening: I am reaching out to you today to discuss <ISSUE and/or UPCOMING VOTE>. I support/oppose because... <BRIEF REASONS>.
Here is where I'd recommend having two scenarios planned. 1) Finding out they support your position and you thank them. 2) Finding out they're undecided or opposed and having your convincing argument and reasons it's popular, backed by constituents and other community interests, etc. It helps to sculpt your argument towards their perspective (see tips in the Indivisible Guide link at the top of this page).

Be polite and courteous. Express disappointment with words and not anger. Democracy is a marathon and nobody wins by burning bridges on the race course.

General Advice: Advice stolen from: https://lifehacker.com/5981392/how-can-i-get-my-local-government-to-pay-attention-to-me
Do Your Homework

Bureaucratic red tape is a nightmare to navigate, but avoid the temptation to just call a general information number and rant at someone who has no control over your issue. The same applies if you're sending letters to a general mailing address. A few things to remember:
  • Make sure you're actually dealing with the right office or appropriate official for the issue you want addressed. In theory, sending all of your mail to the mayor or calling the mayor's office should get your complaint to the right department, but it rarely does. If you have a problem with, for example, needing a stop sign at a nearby intersection, your local government probably has a transportation or safety official responsible for that. You may have to do some digging to get their name or contact information, but you'll have better luck dealing with their office directly.
  • Make sure you're dealing with the appropriate level of government. This is a big one: too often people assume that an issue they have is a state problem when it's really a county problem. Transportation issues are notorious for this: depending on the road in question and who funded its construction, your stop sign could be a state issue, not a city one. Once you get a hold of the right office or official that handles your issue, the first question to ask is whether or not this is in their purview, and if it isn't, who's responsibility it is.
  • Document your issue impeccably. Whether you're cynical or jaded about government at all should be irrelevant here. Rely on facts, letters, photographs, laws, and examples, not opinions and grandstanding statements. Remember, you have a problem you want solved. Focus on the problem and gather as much supporting proof and as many tools as you can to help get the problem solved. Just like when you deal with a company, you'll be in a better position if you leave your personal feelings about the entity or organization out of it—at least until the problem's solved.

Be Professional and Understanding

Bureaucratic red tape is a nightmare to navigate, but avoid the temptation to just call a general information number and rant at someone who has no control over your issue. The same applies if you're sending letters to a general mailing address. A few things to remember:

Make sure you're actually dealing with the right office or appropriate official for the issue you want addressed. In theory, sending all of your mail to the mayor or calling the mayor's office should get your complaint to the right department, but it rarely does. If you have a problem with, for example, needing a stop sign at a nearby intersection, your local government probably has a transportation or safety official responsible for that. You may have to do some digging to get their name or contact information, but you'll have better luck dealing with their office directly.

Make sure you're dealing with the appropriate level of government. This is a big one: too often people assume that an issue they have is a state problem when it's really a county problem. Transportation issues are notorious for this: depending on the road in question and who funded its construction, your stop sign could be a state issue, not a city one. Once you get a hold of the right office or official that handles your issue, the first question to ask is whether or not this is in their purview, and if it isn't, who's responsibility it is.

Document your issue impeccably. Whether you're cynical or jaded about government at all should be irrelevant here. Rely on facts, letters, photographs, laws, and examples, not opinions and grandstanding statements. Remember, you have a problem you want solved. Focus on the problem and gather as much supporting proof and as many tools as you can to help get the problem solved. Just like when you deal with a company, you'll be in a better position if you leave your personal feelings about the entity or organization out of it—at least until the problem's solved.

Go Visit In Person

Almost every public official, from county executives and councilmembers to Congressional representatives, have offices and local office hours where they set aside time to meet with their constituents. Call their offices, let them know that you have an issue you'd like to discuss with them, and get on their calendar. How easy this is depends on the level of government you're dealing with and the arm of the bureaucracy you have to talk to, but it's doable, even for offices like your County Undersecretary or Pothole Repair. Keep calling and keep checking for openings on their calendar.

If you can't get a private audience and you want to talk to someone in person, go to the next public meeting, council session, town hall meeting, or open forum for your community. You may not even know they have them, but a search of your local government's web site should turn up a calendar of events and the next meeting or event that's open to the public. You may have the opportunity for an informal conversation with a specific individual, but depending on the forum you may be in for a formal discussion that you should be prepared for. If you're going to speak in front of a city or county council, bring whatever supporting documents you want to show off (and copies to give away), and get ready in advance.

It's important to note that these public meetings—and even many private conversations—are rarely the final step in getting a real problem solved. You'll need to follow up, reference your conversation, check on the status of your issue, and see if there's anything you can do to push the process along or anyone you can bring into the conversation.

E-mail:

From: https://www.planning.org/advocacy/toolbox/emails.htm
Tips for Sending Effective E-mail to Elected Officials
  1. Put Your Name and Address at the Top of Message.
    The first thing your representative wants to determine is if you live in his or her district. If you don't ... delete. Representatives and staff do not have any obligation and little time to read messages from people who are not constituents, so it is vital that you make it clear that you live in the district.
  2. Humanize Your Message.
    This is one of the most important things you can do to ensure your e-mail makes an impact. Many people are uncomfortable sharing their feelings or talking about their own experiences, or believe that such information is inappropriate to the legislative process. Yet, it is this information that separates one's message from the standardized, bulk messages drafted by interest groups. These messages are more likely to be read than simply tallied.
  3. Be Brief.
    Members of Congress and their staff are extremely busy. Respect their time and try to tell them only what they need to know. Two or three paragraphs should be sufficient. Do not feel that you have to make every single argument that relates to the issue, only the strongest points you can make.
  4. Be Clear About Your Position.
    Your request should be stated as a concrete, actionable item, e.g., "I would like you to support H.R. 100."
  5. Make Your Message Timely.
    Send your message when the legislation is being considered. Your message is worthless is it arrives after a critical vote. Look to APA to keep you informed about the timing of critical stages in the legislative process.
  6. Don't "Flame."
    You are allowed to disagree with your member of Congress, but you will not be effective if you abuse or threaten them. Abusive letters seem more desperate than intimidating to the recipient, and they are seldom taken seriously.
  7. Avoid Attachments.
    Congressional offices rarely print or read attachments to e-mail. Offer to provide supporting documents on request, but avoid sending attached files.
  8. Don't Become "Spam."
    Do not send Congress a message every single day about every issue you read about or develop an opinion on. An office that receives numerous messages from a single person quickly loses sight of the urgency or expertise that the constituent can bring to a specific issue.
  9. Establish Your Credibility.
    Explain if you are an expert in some area. Also, do not shy away from saying that you are either a personal supporter or a party supporter (but never imply that because you voted for somebody or contributed money to their campaign that they owe you a vote).
  10. Don't Lie.
    Political professionals are adept at spotting a tall tale. Any story that sounds too perfect or any statistic that is not substantiated will not bolster your position.
  11. Don't cc Everybody.
    Resist the urge to send a copy of your message to every member of Congress. You will persuade no one and annoy everybody. A legislative office wants to know that you have appealed to them for specific action, not just sent them a copy of a memo distributed to all.
  12. Proofread Your E-mail.
    Too often the speed and ease of sending e-mail is reflected in poor grammar and sloppy spelling. Even if a congressional staffer is able to determine your meaning, such errors reflect badly on your overall argument. Take a break before you press "send," and proof your message.

Writing a Letter:

Advice stolen from: https://resistbot.news/how-to-write-your-congressmen-8288ba9596a3

To: First address them by their title
From: Your full name and address (to let them know you're in their board or council district)
The Opening

The staff who listen to your voicemails and read your letters, faxes, emails have thousands of individual messages to get through. They skim, as anyone with that kind of workload would. Their job is simple: categorize your message by topic and position. If you want your opinion accurately reflected, start and end your letter with a clear and unambiguous position statement.
I am writing today in opposition to H.R. 175—the Obamacare Repeal Act
The above has the advantage of both directness and clarity. The word “opposition” indicates to the staff exactly what position you’re taking on the issue and the issue itself has been named as H.R 175. A bill number is ideal when writing Congress because it shows that you’re informed about the topic and eliminates the risk that a staffer is confused about what issue you’re addressing.

The Explanation

The reason Congress cares about messages from constituents and doesn’t just rely on opinion polling in their districts is because letters and faxes and emails measure something opinion polling has difficulty assessing: passion. People who care about issues deeply are much more likely to write about and expand on why those issues matter to them. As a consequence, how and that you provide distinct, personal details supporting your position matters when Congress considers the import of the message you sent.
This is one of the reasons that form letters to Congress are so ineffective. Identical prose means the “author” didn’t care enough to write their own letter. A message is, in that sense, a measure of civic engagement and taking the time to stake out your own position matters.
The Obamacare Repeal Act would strip health insurance from millions of Americans, like myself, who have chronic health problems and would not otherwise be able to purchase or afford insurance. Health insurance is important to me and my access to it is a matter of life or death.
Note in the above text how we’ve stated a consequence of the legislation and related it to ourselves personally. This letter isn’t just about an issue, it’s about a constituent. At some point this Congressman is going to stand on the steps of the Capitol building and talk to the press about how he heard from constituents all across his district and how H.R. 175 would affect them. He’ll make that speech with a bundle of letters in his left hand and making the letter personally about you, a constituent, makes it more likely that yours will be in that bundle.

The Stakes

Lots of people have positions they care about but don’t vote about. After all, the United States has a first-past-the-post electoral system and that means we usually have a two party system. There are probably a lot of issues out there and your representatives would not be doing their job if they weren’t trying to triangulate a position on all of them. If this issue really matters to you, you have to let them know, not just that it matters, but that it matters enough to take action.
If this issue matters to you, you have to let them know.
I was honored to vote for you in your most recent run for office. I canvassed neighborhoods in my home-town, phone banked, and even donated what I could to your campaign. I hope my faith in you was not misplaced.
This is a not-so-veiled threat, and that’s ok. Candidates depend on voters but they also depend on volunteers and donors. Voting is table-stakes if you want your representative to take you seriously. But if you contribute to their campaign, either with your time or your money, you’re not just a voter, you’re a valuable asset in the race for reelection. If you didn’t do those things, don’t lie and say you did, but if you did work, call, or donate in support of a candidate that makes your voice louder.

The Conclusion

End the way you started, by stating your position and the issue you wrote about. Help the staff member who’s reading your letter categorize it efficiently and correctly. Even if your message never makes it past the first intern that opened it, your position will be recorded, tallied, and represented to your legislator in summary form.
Please vote no on H.R. 175.
Short, simple, to the point, and completely unambiguous.

Meeting in Person:

Chances are you've already called to set up this meeting and hopefully you followed the advice at the top of this page for doing so. If not, still follow that advice so you can use the notes from your homework and be prepared to read or present your case.

The same advice applies, but with additional physical presentation advice: dress for the argument. Business casual may be appropriate for an ordinance that doesn't involve a huge investment of time, money, or trust. But if you're pushing for something that demands serious consideration of an investment of time, money or trust... dress the part. Would you take someone like you serious on a half million dollar infrastructure plan whose success could make or break a political career? Balance the professionalism of your appearance with the weight of the issues you're discussing.

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