You master lobbying plan may include finding and meeting your legislators but a first step in opening a dialogue can be simply writing your representative.
Well you are really writing to the staff of your representative and that is an important distinction as they will be the gatekeepers in seeing whether that letter, email, or fax makes the circular file or the representative’s desk!
Getting straight to the point and sticking to it throughout your correspondence increases the chance it may get somewhere. It also makes it more likely that you will get a response from your representative's office.
The Five W’s
The five W’s – who, what, when, where and why that apply to journalism apply to letter writing. Though the order presented here may differ and even repeat!
- Who are you - identify yourself and your affiliation. This gives the representative an idea of who you are and why the issue is important to you.
- What are you writing about – stick to one issue. Cite a bill. Bills introduced in the House of Representatives start with H.R. Bills introduced in the Senate start with S. If there is no specific bill then clearly delineate the issue.
- Why are you writing – state your position on the issue or specific bill. State why you care, why the legislator should care. Write how the legislation will affect you and others like you, his/her constituents.
- What action do you want taken – tell them what you want them to do about the issue. Vote on a bill. Introduce legislation.
- When and where – if there is an upcoming vote scheduled remind the representative of the date. If this is an issue that requires legislation then you might want to ask the representative for a meeting to discuss. Or you might want to invite the representative to a town meeting, to a place that is impacted by the issue or another venue (the “where”).
- In addition, state who else supports the bill.
- End by thanking the representative and include your entire contact information.
What to Avoid
- Sending form letters.
- Any kind of threat or intimidation.
- Writing too often.
If you don’t get a reply, follow up with another letter. And when a legislator votes as you asked, send a thank-you note.
Writing your representative is not complicated. The hardest part is picking up pen and paper to do so!
