Never underestimate the power of a constituent’s letter! Letters expressing a given viewpoint can change a legislator’s mind and are particularly helpful when that legislator is wavering on an issue.
Personalized communication from constituents is the most effective. However, due to contamination threats (anthrax, etc.), mail service on Capitol Hill continues to be unpredictable. As such, it is best to communicate by fax or e-mail.
Below are some tips to help you correspond with your legislators:
Making Your Communication More Effective
Writing E-mails
Calling Your Legislators
Sample Letter To Members of Congress
Making Your Communication More Effective
It is important that letters or e-mail be as simple and clear as possible. To make your communication more effective:
- Limit your letter to one or two pages.
Use the correct title, address and salutation and spell each correctly. To find the contact information of your Members of Congress, please visit ACTE's Legislative Action Center. The following forms of address and salutation are recommended:
To Senators:
The Honorable (insert full name)
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator (insert last name):
To Representatives:
The Honorable (insert full name)
U. S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative (insert last name):
It is not necessary to include the room number or street address when writing to your Members of Congress.
- Legislators, like most of us, respond best to praise, not criticism. Tell them you supported them in the past (if you did) and how you need their help. It is extremely important to acknowledge their previous support on this or other issues.
When they do reply – and they usually will – write again. Compliment positive actions taken or encourage reconsideration of negative actions or those not taken. When a legislator differs from your position, his or her response may include such language as “careful study,” “due consideration,” or “keeping your comments in mind.” These are often negative indicators and do not show commitment. Write back for clarification. Doing so lets the legislator know that you are serious about the issue and are following his or her actions carefully.
You are an expert in your field and can offer to provide additional information regarding the field, the issue, and the impact of proposed legislation.
Writing E-mail
As technology has become a way of life on the Hill, most offices have established procedures to deal with electronic correspondence. Although e-mail may not have the same visual effect as a pile of letters or a jammed fax machine, its speed is unmatched. While letters, faxes and phone calls are still extremely important advocacy tools, the advent of e-mail gives you one more option in communicating with your legislators. Coordinated e-mail campaigns are now an established advocacy tool that is increasingly used by interest groups and individual constituents. Its main advantage is the ability to get your message delivered promptly compared to perhaps finding your legislators’ phone lines busy, especially when an important vote is imminent. Its disadvantage is the possibility that your message won’t be read in time or at all. With that possibility, it is prudent to have an effective statement in the subject line of the e-mail in case it isn’t read. ACTE’s Legislative Action Center can help you compose, send and find e-mail addresses for your Members of Congress. To make your e-mail more effective:
Make it short and efficient, for example: “YES ON S. 2.” Whether consciously or subconsciously, staffers will always see the subject line in their e-mail windows.
- Limit your message to a few paragraphs. E-mail is designed for quick messages, not lengthy discussion. It’s best to use bulleted points, as in a fact sheet. Otherwise, the same rules hold true as with letters:
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- Use Appropriate Address and Salutation.
- Be Positive.
- Establish Yourself as a Resource.
- Ask for a Reply.
Calling Your Legislators
If you want to make an immediate impact on an issue, use the phone. Staff and legislators can’t avoid getting the message from a constantly ringing phone as the time of a decision on a major issue approaches. Hours of steady rings have been known to change the response from “thank you for calling” to “the Member of Congress is definitely backing the proposal.”
- Find your legislator’s phone number either by calling the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at:
202-224-3121 (Senate) 202-225-3121 (House), or visiting the ACTE Legislative Action Center. If you need further assistance, please call ACTE at 800-826-9972.
- Once connected to the congressional office, ask to speak to the staff member who handles education or workforce development issues (depending on what program you are calling about). Legislators rarely take calls directly until you get to know them.
- After you have identified yourself, tell the staff member the reason you are calling—remember to keep your remarks short and focused.
- Remember to say “Thank you for taking my call and considering my views” – even if they disagree with you.
