How to Address a Letter to a Senator or Representative

There are many ways to communicate your concerns to your Congressional representative.

Senators and representatives are always pleased to receive correspondence from their constituents. Both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives have made information available to the public to assist them in this process. The names and email addresses of your current senators and representative are available through the appropriate clerk's office.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Envelope
• Pen
• Name of the senator or representative
• Internet (optional)

Instructions

1. The acceptable form for addressing the envelope and letterhead to your senator is: Honorable John Q. Smith, United States Senate, Washington, D.C., 20510. In the salutation, address your senator as ``Dear Senator Smith.`` The US Department of the Interior, in its manual for the U.S. Geologic Survey, recommends using "Sincerely" as the complementary close.

2. The Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives recommends the following form for addressing correspondence: The Honorable J.Q. Smith (or Representative J.Q. Smith), US House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515. The recommended salutation is: Dear Mr./Mrs./Miss/Ms. Smith, and the complementary close is also "Sincerely,"

3. If you are not familiar with the name of your senator or congressman, both the Senate and the House of Representatives has a site with a pull-down menu. Simply select the state for a list of your senators. If you select the state and give your zip code, you will be directed to the information regarding your representative.

Tips & Warnings

• While you can send letters to all the senators and representatives, many of them have the time to read only those sent by their constituents. Be sure to put your name and return address on the envelope.

• Avoid writing an angry letter, or one that can, in any way, be interpreted as having threatening overtones. While you may think of it as letting off steam, there may be unfortunate repercussions. It's best, and usually most productive, to express disagreement, or disappointment, in respectful terms.

References

• US House of Representatives: Write your Representative
• Office of the Clerk: US House of Representatives: What Is the Proper Form for Addressing a Letter to a Member of Congress?
• United States Senate: How to Contact US Senators
• USGS Correspondence Handbook; Models of Address
• United States Senate: Senators of the 112th Congress