Contact Your Legislator
Legislator List
Tips & Pointers
Letters & Invites

Tips to effective communication with your legislators:

1. Create a governmental liaison for your project. Make sure that at least one person on your project is in charge of contacting all legislators (local, state, federal) for invites, letter writing, phone calls, etc.

2. Invite them to your event, well in advance. Legislators receive hundreds of invites, so the sooner you can set the date and the sooner you invite them, the better your response. Send a letter, a formal invitation, and follow it up with a phone call no later than a week after they receive the invite.

3. Include them in your event. In your letter and phone call, ask to include them in your event. They can speak to your crowd or share in the opening ceremony of your event.

4. Include a legislator's staff. It's even better if both the legislator and staff can make it to the event. Any legislator will tell you they are not effective without an effective staff... If a legislator cannot make it, often a staff member can. Staff can relay word about your event to the legislator and staff members from other government agencies.

5. Follow up their attendance or support with a thank you for their presence. You will be showing the legislator your appreciation for their taking time out of their busy schedule to make it to your event.

6. Get other local office holders to write your legislators. Often, to get a legislator to listen and support your efforts, you may need to discuss your issue with a local mayor, city councilperson, county commissioner, or other office holder who has a close relationship with a legislator.

7. Thank them for their time. Even if they don't support your project, your opinions, or cannot attend your event, thank them for their time. It might help down the road.

8. Include them in your press article/photo opportunity. You really want to get them involved? If you are planning on being in the news (radio, newspaper, tv) make sure your legislator is there for a photo-op and/or comments. Legislators LOVE to be in print.

9. Share your event with legislators. Even if they cannot attend an event or may not even support an event, share news clippings and press releases with your legislators just as if you would share them with other press agencies. It adds legitimacy to your project, and shows legislators what they missed out on.

10. Go to their local office. Set up an appointment with either the legislator or a staff member at a legislator's district office, and share your project or event with them. There is no substitute for face-to-face contact sharing local information.

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