Contact Your Legislator
Our experiences have shown the importance of bringing concerns to our lawmakers. Making sure your voice is heard in the state capitol is a powerful tool. There are certainly many competing interests demanding our lawmakers attention, but nothing is more powerful than when a constituent takes the time to demand that they be heard by those with the decision-making power that directly affects people in our statek.
Contacting your lawmaker can be done many ways: letter, email, telephone call, zoom meeting, and in our experience, the most powerful of all, face-to-face.
Here are some suggestions that we believe can make a conversation with your lawmaker more productive.
1. Know what Committees your lawmaker serves on. Committees generally take up the majority of their time and focus. So, if you know their areas of professional priority, you can better relate your concerns, ideas, and solutions to their current work.
2. Provide a personal story. Our stories are powerful and they give needed context to the issue you want to discuss.
3. Bring possible solutions that strike a balance between what would be ideal and what is realistic within the political climate. This does not mean you should change your end goal. It shows that you are aware that there are many factors that affect legislation. Look for common ground that can appeal to many viewpoints.
4. Ask for their advice on next steps. This will help you make connections with others concerned about the same thing. Your lawmaker also may have expertise or knowledge about resources that you may not be aware of. Invite them to help you advocate for change.
5. Ask for follow-up. Ask for another meeting. Share that you expect follow-up on any action steps discussed. Make it clear that you are expecting a lawmaker-constituent relationship. If your lawmaker knows this is not a "drop-in," they are more inclined to work towards an answer/resolution.
Please follow this link to find out who your lawmaker is and to access his/her contact information.