Contacting your representative

[twenty711]

Hi all, I found this on a website (listed in order of effectiveness), what do you think is the best way to get your (our) message accross? what methods have you used and found to work?

1. personal visit to the legislator's Washington DC office or home-state office
2. personally handwritten but LEGIBLE short letter
3. personally typewritten or word-processed letter
4. phone call to a key staffer in the office
5. phone call to the reception staffers in the office
6. personally written fax
7. an obvious form letter or fax
8. personally written e-mail
9. an obvious form e-mail

 

[Art Eatman]

The first three. For one thing, they show the relative importance of an issue to you. Odds are, however, a letter will get more actual "thought time", since free time for one-on-one appointments is scarce.

A one-issue, single-page letter that's polite, succinct and understandable will most likely get a staffer's careful reading. Some Congressfolks make a point of reading all hand-written letters, just because they're comparatively rare.

FAXes and Emails are often treated much like you treat junk mail from unasked-from sources. Too much noise, not enough signal. And way too many of them for there to be available time to read them.

Emails can be good if you've established credibility via other, prior communication.

Art

 

[Thin Black Line]

1. Personal meeting with federal representative during local party leadership
events.
2. Keeping in contact (by any medium) with rep's direct underling to the
point where they know your face in person and voice over the phone.
3. Signed letters to rep and cc'ed to other relevant parties on the issue.

Also, always thank your representative when they do something
right.

 

[Smurfslayer]

I have a unique perspective on this...

I've done all but the handwritten letter -
http://www.bighammer.net/timeline.html

My observations are that no "single" method contact is effective. Typically what happens is that a single communication nets a staff assistant follow up if it's a "friendly" to your issue contact, and ignoring you if it's not.

Phone calls almost always go to the receptionist first. Personal staff numbers are impractical to give out to the masses, or even constituents you're friendly with. If they did that, we'd never get any of them on the line. While that can be difficult for us, in the long run at least we have a chance of getting heard.

Form emails, or script calls do work, if you have help. If you light the switchboard up with calls in support of something, you tend to get at least a form response, and follow up.

A personal visit is difficult to organize, and the staff are well trained to handle issues for the elected official. Still, if you're not getting a response, this is a good tactic. It's more effective if you are with like minded friends or an organization. The more support they see, the more inclined they are to help.

A good way to "get the ball rolling" on an issue is-

Up front meeting with key staff member, and your "supporting" associates.
Be up front, honest and brief at first, provide detail later.
Start with describing the problem, why it's bad, what makes it bad, what
you want done to fix it.
Give options and be willing and ready to show support for them.
Grant the staffer time to address the issue; 2-3 days is sufficient.
Make it clear that in respect and deference to the staffer that you do
want the chance to make YOUR OWN case to the elected official at some
point, it can be as short as 5 minutes if the staffer is good, or you may
have to make a full pitch if the staffer isn't "on your side".
Leave with a commitment on researching the issue and a follow up date.
Follow up with a phone call.
Discuss the progress to date.
Accept no excuses for a lack of progress, your issue is just as important
as more taxes.
Agree on another follow up call.
Follow up the call with an email directly to the staffer. Confirm your discussion points.

Keep the ball rolling in this fashion. Rotate contact responsibility to other constituents to present the - sometimes - illusory effect of a large body of support. Get your spouse or significant other to join in the fray. Neighbors, relatives, what have you.

Make new friends. The more groups you can show that support it, the better chance your change gets made.

Don't let long periods of time elapse between "significant" contact. Keep your name, org. and cause "on the radar".

Don't get discouraged. Political change takes determination. It's not for quitters and whiners. If you're either, you're wasting your time. Resolve to win.

I could write several pages on this... Heck, someday I might.

 

[LAR-15]

My experience has been that personal meetings with the legislator or one of his/her staff is best to get the 'ball rolling' as said.

But I once sent a whole packet of info on a certain issue and got a call back from the legislator's DC office saying they were really glad to get the information. I didn't ask for any call back- I had simply dumped the packet off at the post office- but they must have valued what I sent so much that one of his staff called me to inform me that they got it and thanked me for it.

Once you send them something (I have sent pieces of proposed legislation ) keep calling/and or visiting your reps offices to see what is being done about it. Don't just forget about it or let it die. Make sure they know it's important to you.

The worst they can say is 'No. we can't do anything with this or it's not got a chance of passing. Sorry."

Most folks on the internet moan and complain about gun control laws. Few actually contact the folks that can change them to get them changed/repealed.

 

[AirForceShooter]

My best responses and votes came from Personal phone calls and short letters.
Of course now I haven't a clue who my Congress Critter is. I'm Florida 13th.
This is going to be so much fun!!!

AFS

 

[twenty711]

I have received action items from GOA and faxed the form letters in. Do you think I am doing any good by doing this? I don't think it would harm anything?

 

[Smurfslayer]

Do you think I am doing any good by doing this?

I hope you don't take this personally, or otherwise as any kind of personal attack - it's not... But honestly... No.

Once the office receives 2 or 3 of the same pattern of letter they dismiss them as just that - a form letter. The exception is if you are able to muster ... say 250 or so of them. That number is arbitrary.

<shameless plug>
VCDL is --particularly good -- at this tactic. One legislator we targeted personally called Philip and told him 'I got the message, PLEASE make them stop'... Another reported 12 or 15 HUNDRED emails and the VA Capitol switchboard was permanently busy for hours on end. But these are state level delegates/senators, not US.
</shameless plug>

As I said above, no "one method" works 100% of the time, nor is any one method 100% effective. Your approach needs to vary depending on the issue, target audience, etc.

The initial contact can be 3 or 4 sentences. The single most important thing you can do: FOLLOW UP. Ask to speak to the relevant staff member who handles your issue and keep hounding them (politely) until you get your audience.

Think of Congress like a big, giant "crib" and everybody in it is a petulant child who despite being in the crib must be watched like a hawk watches a big fat ponderous rodent that doesn't move too well. These P.C.'s will wreak absolute havoc without supervision, and it is YOUR JOB, DUTY, RESPONSIBILITY and mission to administer that supervision.

Unfortunately, proper decorum and the law prohibits us from taking these misbehaving miscreants down to the wood shed for a good switching:banghead:

Anyway, there are many methods of contact to effectively communicate your message. Pick some other ones to 'augment' your faxes and the message will be that much louder and clearer.