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Writing to your Representative and Senators to express your concerns is a great way to get our message out. Since it is best to send a personalized letter instead of a form letter I am giving you all the information you need on this page to construct a good letter of your own.
First, use the links to the right to find your Representative and Senators and how they voted on the bill.
Second, The Consumerist says that for an even greater impact, send your letter care of the staffer covering the issue. These staffers - called Legislative Assistants - are the Member’s eyes and ears on their assigned issue areas. Finding the staffer destined to read your letter is easy: call the Capitol switchboard (open 24 hours a day!) at (202) 224-3121, ask for your Member’s office, and ask the person who answers for the name of the staffer handling the issue area or bill number. Once you get that name, address your letter like this:
Name Of Congressman
c/o Staffer's Name
Office Building/Number
Washington, DC xxxxx
Third, include your address and phone number, the date, and a salutation something like the following: To the honorable Senator John Q. Politician.
Forth, in the body of your letter make it clear
- what you know about the topic,
- what you know about your congressman’s involvement with that issue,
- what you want and what you will do politically to get it.
Make sure your letter carry some weight. If your congressman voted the other way more times than not, vote against them. This is the way to make your vote and your letters count.
By stating what you will do politically I mean the following. You will be most effective if you come right out and politely but clearly tell your congressman that if they want your vote in the next election they should vote the way you are asking them to on that particular issue. This makes it very certain where you stand and that you are serious. If you have any genuine political influence yourself you may want to find a way of making it known as well.
Fifth, request a reply to your letter, which you should always receive regardless.
Finally, sign and date the letter.
The Consumerist also says that the longer your letter, the longer a reply you will likely receive, providing you with more information to deal with your issue. Urging others to write also on the same issues across your district, your state and the country will add force to your voice in congress. To gain attention and add further weight to your letter you may want to get a write up in the local newspaper’s community section about your letter and the response you received with pictures of you and the letters. This can bring greater awareness to the issues and encourage still others to write as well.
And here are some additional pointers to consider:
- Write a letter on real paper. It doesn’t have to be hand-written; you can use a computer. But a physical sheet of paper carries more weight than an email. It takes more time, effort, energy, and thought than email.
- Make sure you include your physical address. They need to know you are a constituent, even if you know you don’t live in their district.
- Make sure your name is clearly spelled out. Some signatures are hard to read, so make sure you legibly print your name on the letter.
- Send the letter where the official is. Is the legislature meeting in session? Send the letter to Tallahassee. If not, send it to the district office.
- Be nice. You can disagree without being disagreeable. So, treat your elected official the way you expect him or her to treat you - with civility and respect. Even if you are writing to Dick Cheney or Nancy Pelosi, and you hate their politics with a zealous fervor, being respectful yet direct can move your letter to the top of the stack.
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