Step 3: Write the Email or Notes for a Call

  TIP!  Often it's a good idea to do both: send an email/letter, then follow that up with a phone call to the legislator's office.

After you've figured out who to contact in Step 2,

Emails or Letters

Use the following samples to create your email or letter. First a sample format is given, followed by an example.

NOTE: For more suggestions on contacting legislators, see Tips for contacting legislators.

DO NOT COPY AND SEND THESE WORD-FOR-WORD! BE SURE TO TWEAK AND PERSONALIZE!!!

Sample format for email/letter to legislator

Dear <legislator's title><legislator's last name>,

I am writing to you today regarding <what EXACTLY you're writing about, ie, Bill 333>. I am a <adult adoptee, birth parent, birth sister, adoptive mom, etc.> and <"am a registered voter in your district" or some other connection/reason why you are writing to them>.

 

<next paragraph - state what your issue is>

 

<next paragraph - state how you want the issue resolved>

 

Thank you for your time and consideration of this matter.

 

<your name>

<your complete address>

<your email address>

 

Example email/letter to legislator

NOTE: The info in the following email regarding Senate Bill 123 and requested changes are all fictious.

Dear Senator Smith,

I am writing to you today regarding Senate Bill 123. I am an adult adoptee and am a registered voter in your district. 

 

Although I was pleased to see a bill that deals with adoptee rights, adding language to the Washington State laws that allows another person to veto access to an adopted adult's original birth certificate is unacceptable.

 

I am asking that this bill be amended in the following way:

On page 3, line 4, strike all materials through “nondisclosure,” on line 8.

Thank you for your time and consideration of this matter.

 

Suzie Que

123 Main Street

Seattle, WA 98205

suzieque@yourdomain.com

Phone Calls

As mentioned previously, sometimes it's a good idea to send a letter or email, and then follow-up with a phone call. Or if you don't have time for a letter or email, just a phone call is fine. Just do something!!!

How to call a legislator

1. Odds are when you call a legislator, you'll most likely be speaking with their aides so ask them to please relay your phone message to the legislator. 
   
2. Identify yourself by name, phone number, and city, and state. If you live in the legislator's district, mention that you are a registered voter in their district.
    
3. Ask the aide to please write down your  name (spell it out) and to take down your phone number with area code. 
   
4. Then explain why you are calling, that you are calling Senator Smith or Representative Jones about Bill #0000. 
   
   State your position as a member of the adoption community (adoptee, etc) and a brief message for the senator/rep: that you either support the bill as written, do not support the bill as written, or would support the bill if the following change or changes  were made. 
   

5. Be sure to thank the aide for their time. And always be polite to the aides and everyone else you encounter along the way! Some of these aides do have a lot of influence on the people they work for and we never want to get on their bad side!

That's it! You did it! Well...almost. Don't forget Step 4: Follow-up thank you for a vote.