Summary: This post provides practical guidance on how to effectively communicate with your elected representatives. It emphasizes a hierarchy of contact methods, ranging from in-person meetings to social media interactions. The importance of group coordination and local press coverage is highlighted to amplify advocacy efforts. Additionally, the post encourages readers to engage with organizations like Indivisible for support. Ultimately, it calls for collective action to address pressing issues and invites readers to share their own advocacy experiences and strategies.

Key Words: Advocacy, Elected Officials, Political Influence, Indivisible, Contacting Elected Officials,
Using the Local Press, Effective Influence Strategies, Legislative Engagement, Collective Action

Comment: Tell us about the ways you’ve influenced your elected officials or participated in our democracy in the comments!

  1. The Basic Rules of Engagement
    1. Call only YOUR members of Congress
    2. Be Polite
    3. Have a Written Script
    4. Be Prepared
  2. Who Do You Call?
    1. Your Members of Congress
    2. Elected Government Officials
      1. Federal elected officials
        1. Other helpful numbers and sources:
      2. State and territorial elected officials
      3. Local elected officials
  3. Keeping Up With the Issues
  4. Hierarchy of Contact
  5. Other Helpful Hints
    1. Coordination Makes an Impact
    2. Film at 11:00
    3. Use the Local Press
    4. The Indivisible Guide
  6. Image Attribtution

During the halcyon days of yore when it seemed like all that was required to resist the ridiculous bumbling attempts of Trump and MAGA Republicans to destroy our democracy was to post a few outrageous memes, whinge a good deal on social media in the hopes of going viral, and gathering enough followers to win the coveted title of influencer. But, after the 2024 election, shit just got real. The training wheels are off. The bridge is out, the engineer is dead, and we’re just moments from plunging into the ravine.

During the first Trump administration, an erratic, irregular, irreplaceable column was run called, Call Your MoC. It discussed a bill before Congress, provided a script to use when calling your MoC, and included a myriad ways of contacting your MoC. Eventually, it evolved to a comprehensive page in which all of the necessary information was contained and included other strategies for influencing your government office holders besides phone calls.

Phone calls are one of the single most effective ways of influencing the votes of your Members of Congress. You may recall the night that John McCain Romneyed the Ol’ Pussy Grabber by voting against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. The calls to congressional offices were off the hook. The calls were credited with saving the ACA.

With the guardrails down, the grown-ups evicted from the room, and the cannons having the run of the deck, we are all going to live through a hellish-version of The Bad News Bears without the guarantee that if we all pull together and think of something clever and comedic, we’ll prevail in the end.

Here’s the updated version of that one-stop shopping experience of a post telling you everything you need to know about influencing your government officials from the local level to the federal.

The Basic Rules of Engagement

Call only YOUR members of Congress

Each and every one of us has exactly three members of Congress representing us in the federal government: ONE representative and TWO senators. As tempting as it is to contact the superstars of both houses to vent your spleen, don’t.

First, they ONLY listen to their constituents. Calls and opinions from non-constituents are disregarded, so you’d be wasting your time, so you’re only wasting your time calling someone who doesn’t represent YOU.

Second, you’re tying up precious phone lines. While you’re indulging your anger over an issue, a constituent might be getting a busy signal. If you leave a recorded message, you’re filling up the device with noise that could be better used by constituents whose voices could use it more effectively.

Be Polite

Congressional offices usually put interns and other low-level poorly-paid staffers to handle constituent phone duty. They have no power, no influence, and no control, so be polite!

Remember, they are real live human beings. They matter. Be nice to them. Ranting and anger are often incoherent to the person on the receiving in. All they get out of it is that you’re upset. To deliver a message that has a chance of being understood, well received, and considered, keep your cool.

Being passionate is important, but don’t let your emotions overwhelm your message. If you do, you risk being dismissed as just another radical or weirdo calling the office. Always thank them for their time and the job they’re doing; this is personal between you and the person you’re talking to.

Have a Written Script

A written script helps in a several ways.

  • You won’t forget important points you want to make.
  • You present your thoughts in a coherent cogent order.
  • You’re more likely to remain polite.
  • Your reasoning and presentation will be significantly improved.
  • It’s especially useful if you have to leave a voice message.

As a corollary, rehearse a bit before you make the call.

Be Prepared

In addition to having a script, be sure you are prepared:

  • Call during business hours of the area code where their office is located—typically from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
  • Clearly relate your comments to a current issue or bill their office is addressing. This connects your remarks to something the officeholder is involved in and can influence.
  • Know where they stand on the issues you’re calling about. Ask them to change their position or express your support for their stance.
  • Understand the “type” of politician you’re calling and tailor your message accordingly. It helps to know:
    • The party affiliation of who you’re calling. You don’t have to say it, but you should know it.
    • Their general political orientation: progressive, moderate, or conservative.
    • Their position in the organization: are they part of the rank and file or a member of leadership? Tailor your remarks to fit their situation because each has a different set of issues to contend with.
    • Refer to this post, Call Your Member of Congress: The Save Our Democracy, edition, to understand the different types of Members of Congress you may be calling.

Who Do You Call?

Your Members of Congress

To find the names, party affiliations, direct phone numbers, website links, and social media platforms of all your federal, state, and local elected officials, visit Common Cause.

Elected Government Officials

USA.gov is the official guide to information and services of the US government, but it also will give you the contact information for any elected office holder at the local, state, or federal level. Through it you can find the following information about your your elected government officials (most of this is taken directly from the website):

Federal elected officials

  • Phone Numbers: Contact numbers for both DC and state offices.
  • Mailing Addresses: Addresses for both DC and state offices.
  • Official Website: Access their contact page, including email, meeting requests, town hall schedules, and social media links.
  • Committee Memberships: Information on the committees they serve on.
Other helpful numbers and sources:
  • Call the White House switchboard at 202-456-1414 or the comments line at 202-456-1111 during business hours.
  • Get contact information for U.S. senators.
  • Find website and contact information for U.S. representatives.
  • Call the Congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121 during business hours. A switchboard operator will connect you directly with the Representative or Senate office you request.

State and territorial elected officials

Local elected officials

Keeping Up With the Issues

Keeping up with the blizzard of mishegas that is likely to flow from the orifices of the Executive Branch and the MAGA Republicans in Congress is going to be difficult. The explosive diarrhea of misinformation, disinformation, and just plain bullshit whether it is written in a bill or just spewed upon the public at large is difficult to keep up with. It is a feature, not a flaw. Use these resources to help you sort out the bigger pieces that float to the top of the septic tank.

5 Calls: Sign-up for 5 Calls to help you contact your member of Congress and stay informed about ongoing issues that matter to you! It’s a great resource for staying engaged.

GovTrack is a comprehensive site of federal and state legislation. You can search the site using the name of a legislator, the name of a bill, or a keyword. Just be mindful of the dates on the search results, as they may not reflect the most current legislation.

Hierarchy of Contact

During Trump 1.0, many Republican legislators left their phone message inboxes full and wouldn’t answer their phones or check their messages. Nice. Luckily, there are other ways to get in touch with elected officials.

However, not every method of contacting your Member of Congress is equally effective. Here’s the hierarchy, from most to least effective, emphasizing that the more personal the contact, the better:

  1. In person. Meeting in their office—either physically or virtually—and talking directly to the elected official or a staff member is the best way to ensure your message gets heard.
  2. Phone call. Phone calls are probably the easiest option. You simply dial and speak to someone or leave a message. However, many Congress members have ways to dodge calls, such as filling their voicemail inboxes, meaning your message might not get through.
  3. Personal letter or postcard. If you can’t visit or call, writing a personal letter is a great alternative. The more personal, the better. Despite the post office’s challenges in 2020, most mail is still delivered fairly quickly.
  4. Email. If you can’t kick it old school and write to your elected official, then email them. It is better than nothing, and it might could even get a response. Weirder things have happened.
  5. Social Media. Everyone’s on social media, so you can always @ your elected official. While it’s better than nothing, responses to direct messages are rare.
  6. A form letter or petition. You see these on social media all the time. Text to this number and they’ll send a postcard. Sign the petition and they’ll deliver it. It makes it easier for you to do, and I guess it makes up for its lack of impact through its larger numbers? But, you wouldn’t be here reading this and thinking about calling your MoC if you were all about ease and comfort. There’s nothing easy, comforting, or comfortable about wading through TL;DR or saving our democracy, amirite?

Other Helpful Hints

You can increase the effectiveness of your efforts by using multiple methods at once and involving others.

Coordination Makes an Impact

  • Having a group visit, call, or mail letters creates a bigger impact than one person acting alone—and it’s more fun! So, get your friends, neighbors, acquaintances, kidnap victims, whoever together and pass the phone around. Make it a day drinking game. Call in sick to work. It’s fun for the whole family!
  • This is a real good reason to join an Indivisible chapter if you haven’t already. There are thousands of them dotted across the land. They sprouted and grew like bamboo or invasive kudzu after 2017.
  • Those emails you keep getting claiming to be from Elizabeth Warren or other political figures can be annoying, but they help coordinate national action on issues. If a Congress member receives a flood of calls about a specific issue on the same day, they know there’s a group pushing it—and that voters are behind it. See how that works for the anxious-to-be-re-elected Congress critter?

Film at 11:00

If you meet with your Congress person or staffer, film the interaction. This is where having a group is handy—one person talks, another glares, and a third films. If they squirm or say something stupid, you could go viral. And isn’t that everyone’s dream in the age of social media?

Use the Local Press

If you’re going as a large group, the press will likely cover it. Whether it’s a big visit or a phone party, local media pays attention. And who reads the local press? Congress members (or at least their interns). If you make the hometown newspaper or TV news, you’ve got that Congress member’s attention! So go ahead, grab ’em by the press!

The Indivisible Guide

If group activities aren’t your thing, you can still be an effective advocate. This guide is comprehensive, but take a moment to check out the udated suggestions from Indivisible.

To effectively resist the challenges facing our country, it will take ALL OF US. We must work together, so if you discover a group you like, an effective technique, or a wild idea, share it in the comments below!

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Image Attribtution

I’m no longer sure where this photo was found, but given it’s popularity on my Google Image Search, I feel confident that it is in the public domain.