Personal Visits & Letters

Personal visits with your legislator are an effective method of grassroots advocacy. These visits lay the groundwork for future communication with the legislator and his or her staff. A face-to-face meeting can be held in Washington or in the member's district office. To make your meeting more effective:

Make Your Appointment In Advance. Call your member's office and request a meeting. Identify who you are, who will attend, state the time required (15 - 30 minutes) and subject you want to discuss. Confirm the appointment the day before.
Be On Time. Capitol Hill and the district offices are busy places and time is of the essence.
Establish Rapport. After introductions and handshakes, start the meeting with a comment about mutual interests (friends, activity in the state, a recent vote) to tie you or your profession to the legislator.
State Purpose of Your Visit. Tell the Member who you represent, what you want to talk about and why you are talking with him or her. If you are advocating for a specific bill, be sure to refer to it by number, explain its status and what action you would like the Member to take.
Select a Spokesperson. If there are two or more people going to the appointment, identify a spokesperson who can lead the discussion and ask other members of the group to speak as the discussion moves along.
Use Your Expertise and Share Success Stories. You are there to share your expertise on the issue you're discussing. Be prepared to share brief anecdotes and success stories to make your point.
Listen Carefully and Answer Questions Truthfully. Allow the legislator to share his or her insights or positions with you. Though you may not agree with the views expressed, this gives you the chance to respond based on your knowledge and experience. Listen carefully and identify issues of concern to the Member. Answer all questions to the best of your ability. If you do not know the answer to a question, say you will find the answer and get back to them once you do know.
Summarize Major Points. Wrap up the meeting by summarizing the major points of discussion and leave behind a fact sheet with your business card.
Leave Promptly. At the end of your allotted time, thank the Member and his or her staff member for their time and leave promptly.
Follow-up. Send a thank you letter to the member and his or her staff and take the opportunity to again summarize your main points. If you have promised to send additional information, do so promptly.

Letters

Never underestimate the power of a constituent's letter. Letters expressing a given viewpoint can change a legislator's mind. It is particularly helpful when that legislator is wavering on an issue. Personalized (even handwritten) letters from constituents, on their own stationery, are the most effective. If the letter needs to be there immediately, consider faxing or using e-mail and mailing the original. It is important that letters be as simple and clear as possible. To make your letter more effective:

Keep It Short. Limit your letter to one or two pages.
Use Appropriate Address and Salutation. Use the correct title, address and salutation and spell each correctly.
Be positive. 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 also appropriate to acknowledge their previous support on this or other issues.
Ask For a Reply. When they do reply -- and they usually will -- write again. Compliment positive actions taken or encourage reconsideration of actions not taken. When a legislator differs from your position, his or her response may include such language as "careful study" or "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 not easily misled, are serious about the issue and are following his or her actions carefully.
Establish Yourself as a Resource. 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.
Write neatly. Handwritten letters can be as persuasive as typed letters. But your points must be readable to be understood. Generally, if you are writing in a capacity related to your employment. It lends professional credibility. If your letter is part of a letter writing campaign, you can hand write the letter, since it gives the appearance of a grass roots, "ordinary citizen" response, rather than one from a "special interest."