Here’s some advocacy advice excerpted from a staffer for a senator. (The advice can also apply to state and local representatives.)
The take home message – Call or visit. Phone calls are highly preferable to online petitions or emails.
The best thing you can do is to have face-to-face time with your elected officials or their staff. Go to their Town Halls, visit their local or DC offices, and go to their public events. Go to the “mobile offices” that their staff holds periodically (located on each congressperson’s website).
Every single day, the senior staff and the senator get a report on the three most-called-about topics, and whether they are for or against the policy, and, perhaps, frequent comments. They’re also sorted by zip code and area code.
Republican callers generally outnumber Democrat callers 4-1, and when it’s an issue that single-issue-voters pay attention to (such as gun control, or reproductive rights), it’s often closer to 11-1.
A PRODUCTIVE PHONE CALL
- Ask for the staff member in charge of your subject area (“Hi, I’d like to speak with the staffer in charge of Healthcare, please”) – local offices won’t always have specific ones, but they might. If you get transferred to that person – great. If not, ask for that person’s name, and talk to whoever answered the phone.
- Give them your zip code. They won’t always ask for it, but make sure you give it to them, so they know you are a constituent.
- Simply saying “My name is X. I am a constituent from zip code Y and I would like the senator to oppose bill Z” is sufficient to be included in the daily count. But if you can make it personal, do so, such as, “I’m a teacher, and I am appalled by ….”
- Pick one or two specific things per day to focus on. Don’t rattle off everything you’re concerned about.
Don’t worry about being a pest. The people answering the phones generally turn over every six weeks, so even if they’re sick of you, they’ll likely be gone in six weeks.If you feel awkward on the phone don’t worry – there are numerous scripts online, such as these from Indivisible-Austin.
