Use this helpful template when contacting your elected officials.
How do you write a letter to your senator or representative? Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. I attended a conference session last fall with senators who answered questions about the best ways for their constituents to communicate with them and wanted to pass the information along to other Policy Circle members.
I compiled the following tips from that session:
- State your full name, who you are, and why you are concerned.
- State the organization you represent (no acronyms!), your role, and how many are in your group
- State whether you are for or against a proposal and give a one-sentence summary of the proposal.
- Do not only use bill numbers, also describe the bill by its Senate sponsor and subject matter.
- Remind the legislator of any past communication that you have had on the subject.
- Tell the legislator where the bill is located in the committee process.
- Action requested. (Example: Vote yes on the Smith Bill)
- Close with “I look forward to your response”
- Include your contact information
Other things to consider:
- What action are your requesting? That the Representative vote “yes” or “no” on a piece of legislation? Give a clear call to action requested, and if you’d like a response, be sure to include your contact information so that they have a way to do so.
- Personalize it, don’t send generic letters
- Keep it short, one page is best
- Address only one subject in the letter
- Optional – follow up with a phone call
- Because they receive so many different communications and meet with many people, it is really helpful to remind your representative of previous meetings or communications that you’ve had with them so that they can connect who you are with your current conversation. An acronym for your organization may be very clear and familiar to you, but organizations sometimes share acronyms and that can be confusing.
It was interesting for me to hear the senators describe their work days and interactions with their constituents. I hope these tips were helpful as you engage with your representatives!
