Tips for Contacting Legislators
Be sure to also read the following:
When contacting legislators some things to remember:
Legislators are people too. Keep in mind - what communication would YOU pay attention to if you were busy and had hundreds of emails/calls/letters to sift through day after day after day?
Keep it short and to the point. Elected officials get a LOT of calls/emails/letters and most likely skim through them all. If you keep your communication short and to the point, they're more likely to pay attention.
When emailing, email ONE PERSON AT A TIME and address them by name. For example, DO NOT send out an email addressed to all 7 members of the committee and address it "To Whom It May Concern" because they're more likely to disregard it.
State upfront what you're writing/calling about, your connection to the issue, and that you're a registered voter in their district (that helps get their attention!).
DON'T just copy a sample letter word-for-word and send it. Be sure to tweak it so it's personalized from you! People are more likely to dismiss an email/letter if it's exactly the same as the last 5, 10, or 20 they've read.
Legislators pay more attention to registered voters in their own districts so BE SURE TO STATE THAT UPFRONT! Yes, this was already said in a previous tip but it's important! These people are in the positions they are in because WE voted for THEM (well, not always but you get the point!), and the only way they're going to KEEP their position is to keep their peeps happy.
If contacting about a specific bill that's about to get a hearing or vote, contact your legislator a day or two before, so what you have to say is more fresh in their head.
For more information about contacting legislators, go to the American Adoption Congress website, and then click on Legislation.