How to Contact Your Elected Representatives
There are several ways to contact a legislator:
- Telephone call
- Social media
- Send a letter
- Send an e-mail
- Signing petitions is a quick and easy way to “speak out” but they are not very effective overall
- Apps like Countable and services like ResistBot offer quick ways to reach out from a mobile device
IF YOU ARE CALLING:
- Introduce yourself to the office staffer and identify yourself as a constituent.
- Ask to speak to the legislator or set up a time to try again.
- If you want, you can ask to speak to the aide who handles health issues. In some offices, aides handle different policy issues. MORE ON WORKING WITH AIDES BELOW!
- Always be respectful. Explain your issue of concern and ask how they feel about it. Never threaten to vote against your legislator or offer to vote for the in exchange for their support for your issue.
IF YOU ARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
All legislators have accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. It’s a way for them to communicate with the public and their constituents, but it’s also a way for YOU to connect with them. Find your Representative’s and Senators’ accounts on the social media platforms you use and “follow” them. Once you’ve done that, you can reference them with a tag (using their account name) when you’re addressing them in relation to a bill.
For example:
Thank you @RepGrothman for sponsoring the #MetastaticBreastCancerAccesstoCareAct
or
@RepBryanSteil please sign on to the #MetastaticBreastCancerAccesstoCareAct and help breast cancer patients in need!
Check their profile page for the correct way to tag them as they may use a different form of address on each social media platform. Let them know you’re out there paying attention to them!
IF YOU ARE WRITING A LETTER:
(Note: If you are writing to a federal legislator, you may wish to use email, fax it or send it to their district office. Regular mail sent to a Congressional office in Washington, DC can take a long time to reach your legislator due to stringent security measures.)
- Be original – don’t copy a form letter as these are usually not very effective. We have been told by seasoned legislative staffers that a handwritten (legible please!) letter is like gold. It goes to the top of a pile of correspondence when they take it to their boss. A typed letter is still very effective, but if you have nice penmanship, you may want to consider handwriting it.
- Be brief – no more than one page. If you need to, you can provide them with where they can find supporting arguments or materials. Try to keep it to 3 main points.
- State who you are and what you are writing about.
- Personalize your letter – how are you affected?
- Personalize your relationship – have you met? Donated? Talked before?
- Again: Always be respectful
- Include your address and signature
- Use proper title: Dear Senator … OR Dear Representative…
- Follow up with thanks if they do what you want, disappointment if they don’t
IF YOU ARE MEETING IN PERSON:
- Call their office to make an appointment and mention that you are a constituent (they will likely ask for your address). Be prompt in your arrival.
- If you can, take other constituents to the meeting but as a general rule not more than two. Let the scheduler know how many will be joining. (Most offices are surprisingly small).
- Remember, you usually have a very brief time frame in which to make your case. Be well informed, stay on topic, be courteous, and always be respectful. If you have a group, designate one person to be the lead speaker.
- If you are asked a question and don’t know the answer – be honest about that! Simply say that you don’t know but would be happy to find the answer and get back to them. This is actually an excellent opportunity to build a relationship.
- Be mindful of time. Legislators and their staff have very busy schedules and they will appreciate your understanding of that fact.
- Follow up. If you were there with a specific request about a piece of legislation, ask when you might check back to see if there is a result. When you get home, send a handwritten thank you letter to whomever you met with. Reiterate any commitments made by the legislator or aide.
A WORD ABOUT STAFFERS AND AIDES:
** They are VERY important people!**
Legislators rely on their staff for just about everything. They are the gatekeepers to the legislator, so treat them with as much respect as you would your elected official. Staffers are often responsible for researching issues and making recommendations to their bosses about what their legislative priorities should be. They learn what needs to be learned and share it with their boss. They will let their boss know when a constituent has been in and shared a relevant story about an issue.
SO: It is very helpful to build a relationship over time with someone in your legislator’s office. They can grease the wheels for you. And besides that, they are regular people, just doing their job the best they can – like all of us. Be nice.
Wisconsin Elected Representatives
Governor
- Call 608-266-1212
- Email: Eversinfo@wisconsin.gov
- Mail: Governor Tony Evers, 115 East, State Capitol, Madison WI 53702
Legislature
- Call legislative hotline: 1-800-362-9472
- Mail senators at P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707-7882
- Mail Assembly members
- Last names A-L: P.O. Box 8952, Madison WI 53708
- Last names M-Z: P.O. Box 8953, Madison WI 53708
National Elected Representatives
President
- Comments: 202-456-1111 (answered by volunteers); TTY/TTD: 202-456-6213
- Switchboard: 202-456-1414 (answered by White House Staff)
- Online contact form: Whitehouse.gov/contact
- Mail: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20500
Senate
- Call 202-224-3121 for the Capitol Switchboard – they will connect you
- Mail to: The Honorable name United States Senate, Washington DC 20510
- Their webpage (name.senate.gov) may provide other telephone numbers, other mail addresses and have a link for e-mail.
House of Representatives
- Call 202-224-3121 for the Capitol Switchboard – they will connect you
- House.gov lists House members and provides mailing addresses, office rooms, and office telephone numbers
- Their webpage (name.house.gov) may provide other telephone numbers, other mail addresses and have a link for e-mail