How to Petition State Senators

California's state Senate is located in Sacramento.

The vast majority of states in the United States have dual-house legislatures, containing a state senate and state house of representatives. These chambers -- not to be confused with the houses of Congress in Washington D.C. -- make laws at the state level. You can petition state senators, the elected members of the upper houses, for action on your issue in several ways.

Instructions

1. Develop your constituency and core message. For example, if you want your state senator to vote to reduce taxes, find like-minded people who live in your state Senate district and come up with a unified message about the vote.

2. Gather the state senator's contact information, such as her office address, email address, phone and fax numbers (see Resources). You can petition your state senator in several ways, including sending postal mail, a faxed letter or delivering the letter to the state senator's district or state Capitol offices.

3. Deliver your petition to the representative. To be sure that your messages get to the appropriate staff and to the state senator, send your message using a variety of methods. Fax and email letters, make phone calls and visit the offices. Be sure to coordinate with an organization if you want a personal meeting with the senator. You are more likely to get that personal meeting if you and like-minded constituents are appearing together as a group.

4. Visit the state senator's public events. Get this information from the state senator's website or by calling the office. You can deliver written petitions from other like-minded constituents if you would like to do so in person and you are unable to get a meeting with the senator or the senator's staff.

References

• Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin: Tips on Making Contact With Your Elected Officials

Resources

• Library of Congress: State Legislature Website
• University of California, Berkeley: State Government Information