How to Get Lawmakers' Attention

Petitions can reflect local or national concerns.

Many activists and ordinary citizens who want to affect public policy encounter one large obstacle: the cone of silence around elected officials. If you are a concerned citizen who wants to break this silence and get the attention of lawmakers, you can do this by putting your concerns in writing, circulating petitions and visiting legislators in their home districts.

Instructions

1. Put your concerns in writing. The best way to do this is through a postcard or letter. Properly address your note, using the title "Hon." or "Sen." Use the number or specific name of the bill, and focus only on your district representative and senator. Express your own views, give reasons for them and explain what you think should happen. If you are an expert, state your credentials and provide your expert opinion.

2. Organize a petition. Research the issue and find out how your representatives are aligned on the issue or whether there is any pending legislation. Give your petition a title along with an explanatory header that includes a statement ("we the undersigned") about what the person who signs the petition is asking to take place. This should be followed by blanks for printed names, signatures, addresses, email and phone numbers. Gather signatures door to door, at public places or through networks of supporters.

3. Visit your district representative when she is in her home district. Call his office to find out his schedule and arrange a meeting. Bring a list of one or two topics that are of most importance to you. Make your case, presenting the facts as you see them and stating what you want your legislator to do. Lay out the stakes for your district and speak from your experience. Leave a brief summary of your presentation, and follow up the next day with a thank you note.

References

• Backcountry Horsemen of Washington; The Right to Write; Morris K. Udall
• Families' USA's Minorities Health Initiatives; Strategies and Tools: Influencing Congress, the White House, Your Community, and the Media
• National Association of Realtors; How to Start a Winning Petition; Carl Vogel; August 2009