Suggestions on contacting your representatives

The basics are:

Be polite.
Be specific.
Be brief.


A little more detail:

The following are a few ideas on how to make your exchange with politicians more effective. If you have some additional thoughts, please leave them as comments. I may update this post with suggestions I like.

1) Be polite: Calling politicians names or being offensive will not bring them around to your point of view.

2) Be short and to the point: A multi-page email will not be read. Congressman are receiving thousands of emails, voice messages, letters and FAXes each week. Some senators receive thousands a day. Their staff does not have time to read a novel.

3) Let them know you are watching them: Too often politicians will make sweeping promises, and rarely suffer any consequences. By reminding them of their promises they are more likely to follow through.

4) Tell them you are vocal: If you have a blog, mention that you wrote about this issue on your blog. If you wrote a letter to the editor, tell them. If they see you as one with more visibility and influence, they’ll place more importance on your message.

5) Get others to be involved: A friend once told me that a good man can do the work of ten, but a great man can get ten men to do their work. By inviting and encouraging others to join you in your crusade to make a difference, you will be much more effective.

6) Try to schedule a trip to their local office. You can meet the staff members, get their names, find out who is responsible for issues you care about and ask how they would like to be contacted.


Other places to get ideas on how to contact your representatives:
Electronic Frontier Foundation


Set of basic links:

Call to Arms: Be a Minuteman Lobbyist
Reasons to be a Minuteman Lobbyist
Ways to support the Minuteman Lobbyist movement
Spread the word by using the Minuteman Lobbyist icons
Sample emails to invite people to join the movement
Suggestions on contacting your representatives