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Tips for Contacting Elected Officials

Communications to Congress and to other elected officials are more important than ever before. They are a legislator's hotline with the people back home/the people they represent.

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Tips for Writing Letters to Elected Officials
Tips for E-mailing Elected Officials
Tips for Telephoning Elected Officials
Sources Not Mentioned Elsewhere on This Page

Tips for Writing Letters to Elected Officials

The letter is one of the best ways to communicate with legislators. If you decide to write a letter, these suggestions may improve its effectiveness:

Write a legible letter. It isn't necessary that your letter be typed.
When contacting Congress, generally contact only your own delegation.
If you're writing Congress, make sure the receiving office instantly can identify you as a constituent. If they can't, there is a good chance that your communication will be discarded without being read. Start each letter with your name and address at the very top; for example,
Ms. Mary Smith
123 Main St.
Maple Shade, NJ 08052-2695
Note: when writing your state Congress, you might want to include your phone number at the top of your letter, also.
Address your letter properly, and use the correct honorifics; for example, (for a U.S. House representative) The Honorable (full name), __(Rm.#)__(name of) Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20515," or (for a U.S. senator) "Senator Full Name, __(Rm.#)__(name of) Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510.
Use the proper salutation. For a senator, it's "Dear Senator" (and the senator's last name); for example, "Dear Senator Smith:" According to House rules, for a members of the House of Representatives, the way to address a female member of the House is "Congresswoman" (and the congresswoman's last name); for example, "Dear Congresswoman Smith"; a male member, "Congressman" (and the congressman's last name); for example, "Dear Congressman Smith:" However, using "Dear Representative" (and the congressperson's last name) is acceptable; for example, "Dear Representative Smith:"
Be courteous. Respectful, formal, reasonable communications are more likely to be read and have positive impact than rantings and ravings. Don't make threats.
Be to the point. Address only one issue in each letter. Keep your comments brief, pertinent, and factual.
Be concise. Keep the letter to one page. Elected officials hear from hundreds of constituents daily, so a brief letter is more effective than a multi-page one. Here's a two-paragraph method: in the first paragraph, identify yourself, your affiliation, and your major concern; in the second paragraph, describe why the concern is important and worthwhile. And here's a three paragraph method: introduce yourself; introduce your issue; request action.
You don't have to be an especially important constituent to write, but if you are one, say so. If you're a lifelong member of the district, say so. If you're associated with community groups, say so. If yours is a voice of experience or wisdom, try to convince your reader that this is the case.
State early in your letter your purpose for writing (in the first or second paragraph). If your letter pertains to a specific piece of legislation, if possible, identify it by its House or Senate bill number -- for a House bill, H. R. ____; for a Senate bill, S.____ -- or by its title; for example, S. 1173 or the "Freedom of Choice Act."
The letter should be timely. Sometimes a bill is out of committee or has passed the House before a helpful letter arrives. Inform your legislator while there's still time for him or her to take effective action.
If you're sending a letter, FAX, or e-mail already prepared for you, if possible, take a minute to put the message into your own words, but it's much better to send a form letter than no letter at all. In general, it's best to avoid stereotyped jargon, slogans, and other commonly used phrases that give the appearance of a form letter; but if a common phrase is true and powerful, its judicious use can be effective. Form letters often receive form replies. Legislators usually know what the major lobbying groups are saying, but they don't know your experiences and observations or what the proposed bill will do to you or for you. A sincere, well-thought-out letter from you can help fill this gap.
If applicable, use examples to support your position. If you're writing in opposition to legislation, you could include specific examples of how the measure would adversely effect you or your organization.
Give your reasons for taking a stand. Statements such as "Vote against H.R. 100; I'm bitterly opposed" don't help your representative much, but a letter that says, for example, "I'm a small hardware dealer, and H.R. 100 will put me out of business for the following reasons..." tells him or her a lot more. Maybe your congressperson doesn't know all the effects of a bill, and your letter will help him or her understand what it means to an important segment of his or her constituency.
If a bill deals with a problem that you admit exists but you believe the bill is the wrong approach, tell your representative what you believe the right approach is.
If you have expert knowledge, share it with your congressperson.
If you support a particular bill, say so, and again, state your reasons.
Say "well done" when it's deserved. Members of Congress are human, too, and they appreciate an occasional "well done" from people who believe they have done the right thing.
And if you think your congressperson went wrong on an issue, telling him or her why you disagree may help him or her on another issue later.
If you want a response, explicitly and politely ask for one.
Your letter doesn't need to be spelling and grammar perfect, but a letter free of spelling and grammatical errors is, of course, better than the same letter with errors. Back to menu

Tips for E-mailing Elected Officials

Include your ground-mail address in the body of your email for the following two reasons:

Most Congress members respond only to their constituency;
If you send an e-mail to a House representative, according to House rules, if you receive a response, it will be through the mail, not via e-mail. However, you can e-mail House representatives and staff. (Senators may respond to e-mail with e-mail.)

Generally, the same guidelines apply to e-mailing as those for writing letters to Congress. Back to menu

Tips for Telephoning Elected Officials

Remember that telephone calls are usually taken by a staff member, not the member of Congress. Ask to speak with the aide who handles the issue about which you wish to comment;
After identifying yourself, tell the aide that you would like to leave a brief message. Your message could be one such as, "Please tell Senator/Representative (Name) that I support/oppose (S.___/H.R.___)";
State your reasons for your support or opposition to the bill;
Ask for your senator's or representative's position on the bill;
You may also request a written response to your telephone call. Back to menu

Sources Not Mentioned Elsewhere on This Page

The Right to Write
http://www.bchw.org/lnt/main/udall.htm
[Note from webmistress: In my above article, I borrowed heavily from this one; I wanted to compile in one list all of the important letter-writing tips I found, and sometimes, I couldn't say it better than Congressman Udall did.]
Written by a congressman. "... On several occasions, a single, thoughtful, factually persuasive letter did change my mind or cause me to initiate a review of a previous judgment. Nearly every day my faith is renewed by one or more informative and helpful letters giving me a better understanding of the thinking of my constituents. Mail to modern-day members of Congress is more important than ever before. ... their mailbags are their bests "hot lines" to the people back home. ..." Interesting list of "Don'ts"

Legislative Action Center
http://www.capwiz.com/nrlc/home/
For brief tips regarding communicating with legislator's in general and in your state in particular, do the following:

Start at the Legislative Action Center (link above);
Click on the Issues and Legislation tab;
Click on the Capitol Hill Basics link, and see general tips on telephoning, writing, addressing, and e-mailing elected officials;
In the State Legislative Protocol drop-down menu, select your state, and click the Go button;
Click on your state's Tips link, the Writing Your Reps link, and the Phoning Your Reps link, and see the information in those areas.

Congress Merge: Hints for Communicating with Congress
http://www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb/communicating.htm
This article states the importance of, at the very top of your letter, identifying yourself as a constituent and lists other key points to remember in writing to your legislators.

Contacting the Congress Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/about.html#Hints
Some hints about writing an effective message to one's congressmember.

Ten Tips on How to Write to Your Legislator
http://www.priestsforlife.org/government/tipsforwritinglegislators.htm
Ten tips plus links to other pages on writing, visiting, and communicating with legislators. "Especially if you receive no reply in a reasonable amount of time, write again. write different letters on different issues. Be in continuous communication with your legislator. Encourage other constituents/ organizations who agree with your position to write the legislator with the same message." Back to menu

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