How to Write A Letter To My Congressman
The late Rep. Morris K. Udall once wrote that as many as 90 percent of Americans will live out their lives having never written to a congressional representative. So if you write to one of the 435 members of the House of Representatives in Washington to share an opinion, the lawmaker will recognize that you're part of an elite group. And he may assume many others in his district share your view. With email and the Internet, it has never been easier to write to a representative.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
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Find the name of your representative. Go to the House of Representatives link in Resources and enter your state and nine-number ZIP code. You will need to enter some personal information and then click "Continue to Text Entry Form" to write your letter via email.
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Address the representative by the courtesy title "Hon." and then his full name followed by a colon. On the next line, begin to explain the reason you are writing. You want to catch his attention in the first few words of the sentence. Most mail is read first by an intern or office staff member. You want your letter to stand out among the rest, so be bold in your opening statement. Include the bill number or legislation that you are writing in reference to. Make sure your letter is timely so that your representative has time to take action.
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Look up the representative's website if you plan on writing her by regular mail (see Resources). Websites of elected representatives usually contain their addresses in the "Contact Information" sections. Make sure the letter is typed and legible.
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Keep your letter simple and to a single page. After your opening statement highlighting the issue, provide an explanation of your opinion. In the next paragraph, you can request that the representative take a specific action and why. Be specific. Explain why you have a personal interest in a certain outcome. You can then sum up your feelings and conclude the letter cordially.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't write emotionally; keep your letter based on facts. Add personal information that will allow the reader to get an idea of your situation.
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Comments
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when are our worthless government officials in wash. d c going to stop protecting the millionaires and billionaires and start making them pay their fare share of taxes to help get the usa out of this financial mess I'am tired of the republicans protecting the rich so they can just sit in d c and do nothing while the poor and middle class get taxed more and loose their jobs and homes but yet the ones in d c get their fancy pensions an retirement for life without fail obama is right to tax the millionaires and billionaires at least he is doing something in office except trying to start wars all over the world as the republicans try to do and then screw over the poor and middle class citizen (the illegals don't count).
