The National
Research Center for Women & Families was created because
we believe that public policies will be improved if policy makers
and the public have better access to accurate, unbiased information.
Each of us can make a difference if we share the information we
have with those who know how to use it.
Use
Your Voice
Elected officials
at the local, state, and federal level are responsible for representing
the interests of their constituents. In order to know your interests,
your elected officials must hear from you! There are several ways
to communicate your knowledge or opinions to your representatives:
Write your U.S. Representative or Senators
Call your U.S. Representative or Senators
Visit your U.S. Representative or Senators
Please scroll
down for details on these topics.
Stay
Informed
Be sure to
stay informed on issues that matter to you by signing up to receive
important updates through the National Research
Center for Women and Families Newsroom. For information regarding
the status of particular legislation, go to the U.S. Senate and
House of Representatives at http://thomas.loc.gov.
Writing Your Letter
Keep in mind
that public officials, especially those at the federal level, receive
thousands of letters each week. Many won’t even read letters from
people who are not their constituents. Here are some tips to help
get your letter noticed:
Be specific.
Focus your letter on one issue or legislative proposal. If possible,
mention a specific bill that you would like your representatives
to support or oppose. The first step is to ask them to co-sponsor
the legislation (unless it’s a budget or appropriations bill). If
the legislator is on the Congressional Committee where the bill
will be debated in a "mark up", ask them to vote for or
against the bill or a specific amendment or amendments. If it is
coming up for a vote in the entire House or the Senate, ask them
to vote for or against the bill or amendment when it comes "to
the floor for a vote." If you are not sure of the name or number
of a bill, or whether it has been "marked up" in Committee,
you can find a list and the current status of bills before the U.S.
Senate and House of Representatives on the Library of Congress Thomas
website at http://thomas.loc.gov.
- Be brief.
Try to limit your letter to one page or less. If your letter is
over two pages, it may not be read carefully or completely.
- Be polite.
The adage "you catch more flies with honey" is especially
true when writing to a Member of Congress or other legislator.
Try to avoid vulgar or sarcastic language, threats, emotional
or irrational arguments, or any kind of personal attacks. You
can strongly disagree or express or disappointment without sounding
mean-spirited, violent, or crazy. Venting your frustration may
feel good to you, but it will do no good and may make it difficult
to be effective in the future.
- Be personal.
Legislators are elected to care for the concerns of their constituents,
so explain how this issue will affect you, your family or your
community. Use personal examples of how this issue or similar
proposals have impacted your community in the past.
- Cite facts.
Elected officials tend to consult the "experts" for
advice on certain issues, so use your letter to deliver expert
research to them. If possible, cite credible reports and studies,
local and national think tanks or investigative task forces.
- Make it
easy to read. Type or write very neatly. Letters that are
difficult to decipher are usually not read carefully. A letter
that looks and sounds good will be taken more seriously than one
that is sloppy or badly written. Avoid anything unusual, such
as overuse of capital letters (it makes it look like you are shouting)
or brightly colored ink or paper. What seems quirky or fun to
you might be perceived as unprofessional, weird, or worse by Members
of Congress or their staff.
- Offer
alternatives. Try offering alternative solutions to the problems
addressed in your letter. If you have ideas, share them. You can
also endorse the solutions recommended by the reports or experts
you have already cited.
- Send a
personal letter, not a "cc". Most elected officials
are overloaded with mail, so they are unlikely to read a copy
of a letter to someone else. In addition, if you send a letter
that is "cc’ed" to many other people, it will be assumed
that you don’t know what you are doing.
- Include
your name and address. Elected officials generally try to
respond to mail from their constituents, so always be sure to
include your name and address in your letter.
- Be selective.
If you write to the same person too often, you will get an unflattering
reputation. Two or three times a year is probably the limit, unless
you have a close relationship with the legislator or staff. Also,
be sure you know what you’re talking about: don’t write to a Senator
about a bill that has only been introduced in the House, or vice
versa, unless you are asking them to sponsor the bill.
Addressing
Your Letter
You can find
direct mailing addresses, email addresses and phone numbers for
your U.S. Congressional representatives at http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/.
Or if you prefer, you can address your letters to the general Congressional
mailboxes.
Senate:
The Honorable
_______________
United States
Senate
Washington,
DC 20510
Dear Senator
________________:
House
of Representatives:
The Honorable
_______________
United States
House of Representatives
Washington,
DC 20515
Dear Representative
___________:
You can also
share your views with the President by writing to:
President of
the United States of America
1600 Pennsylvania
Avenue, NW
Washington,
DC 20500
Email: president@whitehouse.gov
Dear
President __________:
Sample
Letter in support of hypothetical bill S. 100:
The Hon.__________
United States
Senate
Washington,
DC 20510
Dear Sen. _________:
As a teacher/business
owner/artist/researcher/student/whatever who has experience with
x, I am writing to ask you to co-sponsor S.100, the National [Blah
Blah] Bill.
S. 100 is
important to me/our community/teachers/whatever in our state because
xyz. It will make a difference in our lives by abc. In addition,
research shows that x.
I look forward
to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Anne
Constituent
Writing
Your State and Local Officials
The tips listed
above are also useful when writing to your state and local elected
officials. You can consult your local library for representative
addresses and information about state and local issues. Additional
state government directories can be found on the Library of Congress
website at http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/state/stategov.html.
Casework
Assistance
Your Congressional
representatives are also available to help you maneuver through
certain government programs or offices. This is considered part
of their job, and is offered to all constituents, not just donors
or friends. If you are experiencing difficulty when dealing with
federal agencies, such as filing for or receiving Social Security,
food stamps, or Medicare benefits or dealing with immigration or
naturalization services, you can contact your U.S. Representative
or Senator for assistance. Often, your congressional offices can
provide appropriate contact information for federal agencies and
sometimes even make inquiries to help correct errors or file paperwork.
If you are interested
in this type of assistance, you should send a letter or call your
elected official for more information.
CALL
YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS
Calling your
elected officials is another effective way to share your views on
issues and legislation. While you will generally not be able to
speak directly with your U.S. Representative or Senators by telephone,
their staff will note your comments and share them with the legislator.
The same general
tips when you write your U.S. Representative or
Senators apply when you call them.
- Be specific.
Focus your phone call on one issue or legislative proposal and,
if possible, refer to the appropriate bill numbers.
- Be brief.
Try to limit your call to less than three minutes. Any longer
and you may find that you’re asked to hold so the staff can answer
other calls.
- Be polite.
As with your letters, avoid sarcastic, vulgar, or threatening
language on the phone.
- Offer
your name and address. Do not be surprised if you are asked
for your name and address, as elected officials sometimes try
to respond to phone messages with letters.
- Follow
up with a letter. As a phone call limits the amount you can
say, it is often a good idea to follow up with a letter so that
you may cite facts and offer alternative solutions for the issue.
Click write your U.S. Representative or Senators
for tips on writing your follow-up letter.
- Be selective.
It is expected that constituents will call just before a vote
on a bill that is important to them. Other calls should be very
selective. As a researcher or other professional, it is appropriate
to call to let your elected representatives know about the work
that you do that is relevant to their votes. For these kinds of
calls, make sure you ask for the appropriate L.A. (Legislative
Assistant) who works on the type of issue you want to discuss
(such as health, the environment, foreign affairs, children’s
issues, etc). This call will certainly take more than 3 minutes,
but you should still keep it short. As a patient with health problems
that could be affected by legislation, it is similarly appropriate
to let the health staffer of your elected representatives know
about your expertise and how they can better represent your interests.
Again, be as brief as possible, and don’t go through a long list
of medical problems and experiences.
- Timing.
If you are a researcher or other expert that is trying to
make a "get acquainted call," try to time it to coincide
with less busy times in Washington, such as recess (usually around
Federal holidays). Mondays and Fridays also tend to be less busy,
since hearings and votes are usually held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays,
and Thursdays.
Click
here to find phone numbers for your U.S. Congressional representatives
at the Senate and House of Representatives websites. You may also
be connected through the Capitol operator by dialing (202) 224-3121.
You can share
your views with the President by calling White House staff
at (202) 456-1414.
Calling
Your State and Local Officials
The tips listed
above are also useful when calling your state and local elected
officials. You can consult your local library for representative
phone numbers and information about state and local issues. Additional
state government directories can be found on the Library of Congress
website at http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/state/.
VISIT
YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS
If you are very
knowledgeable about your issue, it is often wise to follow up your
letter or phone call with a visit to your elected officials. Often,
if your representative is unable to schedule a meeting, they will
designate an appropriate staff member to meet with you. Here are
some tips to help you have an informative and effective meeting
with any national, state or local official.
- Schedule
in advance. Call your elected official well in advance to
schedule an appointment. Whether you are requesting a meeting
in Washington, DC, your state capital or at your representative’s
district office, you should always schedule your appointment weeks
or months in advance.
- Be flexible.
Even though you have scheduled an appointment, time conflicts
may arise for your representative and you should be prepared to
alter your appointment if necessary.
- Be selective.
Save your visits for important issues. As a researcher or other
professional, it is appropriate to ask for a meeting to briefly
discuss how your knowledge is relevant to their votes. As a patient
with health problems that could be affected by legislation, it
is similarly appropriate to let your elected representatives know
about your expertise and how they can better represent your interests.
- Be prepared.
Whether your appointment is with the representative or a staff
member, you should never assume that they are knowledgeable about
your issue or legislative proposal. Do your research ahead of
time and come to the meeting as prepared as possible. You should
not be there just to chat; be ready to tell them what you want,
whether it is to support or oppose a bill, to try to get federal
funding for certain kinds of programs or research, or to call
on you for your expertise on a specific topic if the need arises.
Try to bring brief written materials, such as an issue brief or
a one-page list of concerns, which you can leave with them. You
may be able to get these materials from a think tank or research
center, or you may write them yourself.
- Be professional.
Dress appropriately for your meeting and show respect (whether
you feel it or not). Congressional members should be addressed
as "Senator" and "Representative" or "Congressman/woman."
Staff should be treated with respect even if they look young enough
to be your child or grandchild. And, as with your letters and
phone calls, use polite language and avoid emotional or irrational
arguments.
- Send a
thank you. Always follow up a meeting with a thank you note.
This will remind them of the issue and its importance to you and
your community.
Sample
Thank You letter
Use your judgement
with regards to comments that specifically address the issue at
hand. If legislation is pending, you may want to mention the bill
number and stress the level of urgency involved. The letter below
is only a suggested format:
Dear Senator/
Representative __________:
I very much
enjoyed meeting with you on (date) with regards to (subject). I
hope you will take my concerns/suggestions into consideration. I
will continue to follow-up on this issue and look forward to hearing
about any further developments from your office. Please feel free
to contact me/organization’s name with any questions or requests
for additional information.
Sincerely,
Name
Organization
Letters, phone
calls, and visits really can make a difference. Don't put it off.
Take a few minutes to let your voice be heard today!
