An easy way to contact legislator(s) is to write to them. Here are some helpful hints.
Avoid professional jargon. Write in your own words.
Avoid ranting or tear-jerking approaches. A poignant need or a grave injustice, simply told, can have a far greater impact.
Focus on one issue per letter. Keep letter short.
Use real-life examples to illustrate your point. Legislators may use grassroots stories to persuade colleagues to co-sponsor a bill or vote for or against it. Your example may even enliven a member’s speech or floor statement.
Avoid form letters. However, if you are using a form letter, paraphrase, insert personal samples, use your own handwriting, or type it yourself.
Open and close with statements that will establish rapport, such as “I know you are concerned with the welfare of young children and will take appropriate action on this issue.”
Show your strength. Mention the number of families your program serves or the number of parents you represent.
Write (or call) more than once. Your input is critical at three stages:
- Initially, to urge your representative to co-sponsor a bill.
- Next, to encourage the committee to pass the proposed legislation and to encourage your representative to exercise pressure on the committee to pass it.
- Before it comes to a full vote, to urge your representative to vote for the bill.
Watch your timing. If your member sits on a committee with jurisdiction over a bill, the time to make recommendations is before the committee has reported out the bill. (A bill is reported out when it is passed from the committee to the floor.) When time is running out, telephone legislators.
Ask for a response. Include your name and address on the letter.
Write a letter of appreciation if your representative acts in accordance with your recommendations. Reiterate the specific, appropriate actions taken by your representative. Let it be known that you are spreading the good word in your group’s newsletter or at a forthcoming meeting.
