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Tips
for Calling Your State Legislator
Individual
calls and a telephone calling campaign can be very effective
if an issue comes up that needs to be handled quickly and
a legislator needs to show large numbers of people who support
or oppose it.
Telephone
calls are more effective when you call the legislator’s
local office. Tell the staff you want your legislator to know
your views on an issue. Keep your message brief and use your
best points. The staff keeps a tally of all calls on an issue
and will make sure the legislator knows how many calls he
has received on your issue.
Preparing
for the Call:
- Identify
yourself.
Clearly state your name, address and why you are calling.
Indicate that you are a constituent, if you are, expressing
your concern about a specific issue.
- Keep
it brief.
Legislators and their staff are very busy. Limit your call
to three or four minutes. Use written notes so you do not
become confused or digress from the topic.
- Keep
it focused.
Assert your position and offer arguments that support it
but don’t be confrontational.
- Ask
for a response.
Demonstrate your concern by asking for a written reply.
Provide your mailing address.
How
to place the call:
- Remember
that your legislator has a local office to take your phone
calls. Calls to district offices are as effective as calls
to your state capitol or Washington.
- Ask
to speak to your legislator, but don’t be surprised
if that busy official is not available.
-
If your legislator is not available, ask to speak with the
aide handling your issue (e.g. health care). Then ask the
aide to communicate your views to the legislator.
- If
you plan to launch a phone campaign with members of your
organization, the first step is to recruit good people who
are committed to the issue to help you reach all the members
of your organization. On average, you will need one person
for every 25 calls you plan to make to your membership.
- You
already may have sent a letter to your members informing
them of the issue that could impact them. This will make
it easier for the person calling them to ask for their help
in contacting their local legislative office.
What
you will need for a successful phone campaign:
- A
brief written script or list of talking points for your
recruiters to use when calling the membership. This will
give them confidence until they feel comfortable in their
role.
-
A fact sheet giving a summary of the arguments, citing the
principal evidence or authority for each argument. It should
be no longer than two pages and should be set up in short
paragraphs with subheadings, so each point is easy to find.
This fact sheet also should be mailed or faxed to those
members of your organization who agree to call their legislators
to help them with their calls.
- A
sheet listing the names and phone numbers of those members
to be called, include columns to show how many times they
were called and the results of the call.
- If
there is time, you can role-play with your recruiters, particularly
if they seem nervous about calling people they do not know.
- Make
sure your recruiters do not pressure reluctant members to
make phone calls. Some people are just concerned they may
not be effective and these people can be encouraged by telling
them you will be sending them a fact sheet on the issue
and information on how to make the call. However, some people
will resent your call in which case it is best to back off
gracefully.
- Ask
people who say they will call one or more legislators to
let your know the results of their phone call. This will
help in evaluating the campaign’s success. Obviously,
not everyone will comply with this request, but a 25 to
30 percent response rate is considered very good and can
lend valuable information.
For
more information about State Advocacy, please contact stateadvocacy@acc.org,
or call 301-897-2612. |
