West County Democrats

Particularly since the 2016 election, many people have searched for how to contact their elected officials in order to attempt to influence policy. There are many ways of contacting your elected official, whether by phone, mail, fax, email or personal visit. I would generally recommend against email as an initial method of contact because emails are too easy to sort and discard and your legislator or their staff may suspect it is a form email or otherwise discount your voice. If you do decide to fax or mail a letter, there are many good guides available online, but here are the basics:

1. Address it to the correct person. Is the legislator a person with power over this issue? Do you have a connection to her? If you are writing to complain about a bill a legislator sponsored, then be realistic and focus on unintended consequences instead of a frontal assault on the idea behind the legislation. Maybe propose a way the bill could be amended to address your concern. If you are writing someone on the committee that will review a bill, try to leave them with questions or facts they can use in hearings so that they can advocate for you. Also, make sure the issue is one the legislator will have to take a stand on or is in a position to influence. For example, it does little good to write a letter to my State Representative to say the Affordable Care Act should not be repealed until there is a replacement. That is a federal issue. Likewise, although it’s a state issue, I would not write her to say permit-less carry is a mistake because that issue was resolved last session and there is no proposed legislation on the issue this session.
2. Keep it brief. No longer than one page and only addressing one topic.
3. Be clear. Within the first two sentences, the reader needs to know who you are, if you are a constituent, and why you are writing. For example: “As a parent and resident of Kirkwood, I am concerned about safety in our communities. I am concerned that H.B. 44 will increase the risks to my children and their peers because it would allow drivers to drive on the left side of the road, which will make it harder for children to cross the street safely.” Also, think before you use any abbreviation to make sure your audience, who is likely just an aide or intern, knows what you are talking about.
4. Know your legislator. If you can (and if it relates in some way to the issue), thank them for supporting your view on something similar. For example: “I thank you for opposing SB 878 last year, which would have allowed drivers to change places in the car while diving in school zones.”
5. Do your homework. You want to both persuade and arm the legislator with a fact or two they can use when discussing the bill. A quick google search is usually enough, just make sure your source is credible. For example: “Texas passed a law similar to HB 44 two years ago. After the bill was passed, Texas saw a 78% increase in traffic accidents compared to a decrease nation-wide. Texans are also getting into more accidents when they visit other states, and the average car insurance bill in Texas has gone from $300 to $850 as a result of their decision to let drivers drive on whatever side of the road they want to.”
6. Add a personal touch if you can. “Having visited London this past fall, I can personally attest to how difficult it is, not to mention scary, to get used to people driving on the opposite side of the road. I was so happy to get back to Kirkwood where people drive on the right side of the road.”
7. Offer to help. This is not necessary, but can be important if this is an issue on which you have some personal or professional experience. This is really valuable if you are writing to one of your state legislators, who do not have as much staff or research available. Something like: “I know that you are currently in the middle of session, but as a school crossing guard I would love to set up a meeting between you and our police chief so that we can answer any questions you have about HB 44 as well as how to actually protect our children. We can meet you in Kirkwood on a Friday or Saturday or I plan to visit the capital on February 30 and I can speak with you then. I am available anytime at XXX-XXX-XXXX and name.name@gmail.com. If you would rather, a group of concerned parents is having a meeting at 7 pm on March 17 at Joe’s Pool Hall. We would love to have you come speak to us about HB 44 and other issues facing our children.” If I was writing to someone on the national level, I would say: “If you are interested in more information about this, you can find statistics and references at www.seeimright.com or I can meet you at your district office.”
8. Proof read. Look at tone, accuracy, spelling and grammar. Ideally, after you have done that, give it to someone else to do likewise. One mistake can make the letter much less persuasive. If the matter isn’t urgent, sleep on it and re-read your letter later to make sure it flows well and makes sense.
9. Sign it. Use your actual name, please.
10. Consider typography: These rules are a little less important, but typography is the art of actually making what you put in your letter legible so that your reader and easily see what you have to say. There are whole books dedicated to it, but briefly:
    1. Use 12 point font.
    2. Use line-spacing of 1.1 or 1.2; in Word, this is done by right clicking, then in Paragraph changing the line spacing to Multiple and typing in 1.1 or 1.2.
    3. Use a fairly traditional font. There are a lot of fonts that will work just fine, but think about what will be easiest to read. It does not need to be Times New Roman, but it does need to be easy to read and make you look like a knowledgeable person.
    4. Only put one space after a period.
    5. Spacing between paragraphs. Ideally, 6 or 8 point space after each paragraph. Again, in Word this can also be set in the Paragraph menu.
    6. Indenting paragraphs: If paragraphs are short enough and you have 12 point spacing, you don’t necessarily need to indent the first line of a paragraph, but my personal preference is to indent the first line 0.3 inches. This is also set in Word using the Paragraph menu.

So there you have it. Ten things to remember when writing to a legislator. 

Submitted by Mark Boyko