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Communicating Tips Tips On Telephoning Your Legislator

Using Capitol Connect, you will be given the phone number of federal and state legislators. You can use "Find Your Rep" if you need to know a legislator's phone number. You can also reach federal legislators through the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Staff members usually handle calls to the legislator's office. Therefore it is important to ask to speak with the staff member who handles your issue of interest. Be sure to identify yourself and request to leave a brief message with the legislator that states the purpose of your call, e.g. "Please tell Senator/Representative (Name) that I support/oppose (S.___/H.R.___)."

Also, it is important to state the reasons why you support or oppose the bill. You may ask for your legislator's position on the bill if it is not known and you may also request a written response to your telephone call/message.

Tips On Writing Your Legislator

The letter is still one of the more widely used methods of communicating with a legislator's office. Writing a letter gives you, as a constituent, the opportunity to express and defend your position on an issue. Your letter will be most effective if you follow a few simple guidelines:

Your purpose for writing should be stated in the first paragraph of the letter. If your letter pertains to a specific piece of legislation, identify it accordingly, e.g., House bill: H. R. ____, Senate bill: S.____. Be courteous. Even if the legislator has taken positions you disagree with, be respectful. Get to the point quickly, and address only one issue in each letter. As a rule of thumb, it is best to limit your letter to one page. Be sure to include information and your own personal reasons for supporting or opposing a piece of legislation. Legislators are not only influenced by who supports legislation, but also why.
When writing to the Chair of a Committee or the Speaker of the House, it is proper to address them as Mr. Chairman or Mr. Speaker (or Madam Chairman or Speaker).

Click here to view an example letter

Tips On Emailing An Elected Official

In general, the same guidelines for writing a letter apply to email messages. With an email message to a legislator, however, it is very important to include your street address in the email. This is the only way a legislator has of knowing that you are a constituent. In some instances, emails without street addresses may not receive a response. You can use "Find Your Rep" if you need to know a legislator's email address.

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