How to Write Letters to Congress

When you write letters to Congress, you help elected officials understand which policy issues are important to the public. Writing a letter is a fairly straightforward process, although there are a few things you can work on to make your voice stronger.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Supporting documents

1. Make a list of subjects that you want to bring up in your letters to Congress. Group similar topics together, such as emissions standards and green energy strategies. These topics should be addressed in the same letter to make your points more effective.

2. Find your congressmen using the government's official House of Representatives website (see Resources below). You can also find and contact your Senators through their website (see Resources below).

3. Begin to construct your letter and use your own personal experiences to help make your points stronger. Make sure you state that you are in the Representatives' constituency and have voted for her in the past (assuming, of course, it's true). Also include reference information about any donations you have made to the Congresswoman's campaign or national party.

4. Include any supporting documents, such as signed petitions, with your letter. Mail your letter to the representative's Washington office or drop it off in person at his local office. Note that if you include a request to meet personally with the representative, you may have to wait several weeks due to busy schedules.

5. Encourage other supporters of your causes and ideas to write letters to Congress. You can draft a sample letter that only requires a name and signature before it is mailed. Pass these letters out at rallies and political functions or distribute them to your email address list.

6. Write an electronic letter to Congress using the House website (see Resources below). You'll need to provide your zip code and address in order to reach the text-entry page. Contact can be made with Senators using their website.

Tips & Warnings

• To help increase local awareness of your causes, you can try contacting local media outlets with a press release about your letter-writing campaign.
• Don't let an automated response from your Senator or Representative discourage you. Take the next step and try to meet with her in person.
• For state issues it is often more appropriate to contact representatives in the state house.

Resources

• Look up your Representatives and their office locations.
• List of Senators with contact information.
• Electronic letters to Congress.