Dear Talking the Talk,
This week we address the second part of your question about how to contact your legislators. There are MANY sites you can refer to, but here are some constants I gleaned. Letters and emails are both effective, but if time is critical, snail mail, is, well, snail mail. Some sites preferred calling, but most focused on emails and letters. Here are the basics on how to make your wishes known:
- State issue or bill # and your position in subject line of email or top of letter. (“Vote yes on bill #123”)
- State your name and address clearly at the top of message. Staffers who read your letter need to verify that you are a constituent quickly or it gets tossed.
- Humanize your message by sharing feelings and experiences to separate your message from mass mailings. Mass mailings typically are just tallied, not read. However, don’t get off topic or start ranting.
- Be brief and to the point; two to three paragraphs max. Stick to one bill or issue, identify strongest point(s) and what action you’d like taken. If writing about a bill, state the bill number and how you want them to vote. If it’s a focus or policy issue, state how you want them to take leadership on it.
- Don’t become spam by writing daily.
- Proof read for poor grammar, sloppy spelling before hitting send or mailing.
- End with request for a reply and your contact information. If they do respond, be sure to thank them.
- It goes without saying that your email or letter needs to be factual, not vague information picked up on social media, no outright lies, no name-calling, abuse or threats!
Below are sites I found helpful, including some with sample letters. Of special note are the links to United Methodist Women and United Methodist Church advocacy sites.
Forwarding a political post is easy, let’s do the hard work of being part of the process!
Terra
American Planning Association
https://www.planning.org/advocacy/toolbox/emails.htm
American Psychological Assoc. https://www.apa.org/advocacy/guide/letter-email
ACLU https://www.aclu-wa.org/why-write-elected-official
WA State Legislative Information Center https://leg.wa.gov/LIC/pages/hotline.aspx
https://www.unitedmethodistwomen.org/members-leaders/action/contact-congress
https://www.unitedmethodistwomen.org/members-leaders/action/influence-legislators
United Methodist Legislative Priorities https://www.umcjustice.org/
United Methodist Church and Society-Take Action https://www.umcjustice.org/what-you-can-do/advocacy/take-action