TIPS ON CALLING A LEGISLATOR

A telephone call is one of the most widely used methods of communicating with a legislator's office.

Visit the “Find Your Legislator” section of the website.
To find the phone number for your state legislator or Member(s) of Congress, visit the “Legislator Search” section of this website. For Members of Congress, you may also call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard (202-224-3121) and ask them to connect you with your Senator's or Representative's office.
Remember that a staff member, not the legislator or Member of Congress, takes telephone calls. Ask to speak with the staff member who handles the issue about which you wish to comment.
After identifying yourself, tell the staff member you would like to leave a brief message, such as: “Please tell Senator/Representative (last name) that I support/oppose (issue or bill number).”
You may also want to state the reasons for your support or opposition to the bill. Ask for your Senator's or Representative's position on the issue or bill. You may also request a written response to your call.
Always be polite and courteous.
Remember, it’s always more effective to proactively contact your elected official prior to a piece of legislation being debated.

TIPS ON SENDING EMAILS TO A LEGISLATOR

With an email message to a legislator, it is very important to include your home address in the email. This is the only way a legislator has a way of knowing that you are a constituent. In some instances, emails without home addresses may not receive a response. Note that when you respond to an Action Alert from this website and send an email, your home address is automatically included in the message.

Your email will be most effective if you follow a few simple guidelines:

State your purpose for writing in the first line or first paragraph of the message. If your letter pertains to a specific piece of legislation, identify it accordingly (e.g., Texas House bills are names “HB ##” and Texas State bills are named “SB ##”; U.S. House bills are named “H. R. ##” and U.S. Senate bills are named “S. ##”).
Be courteous, to the point, and include key information, using examples to support your position.
Address only one issue in each the email and, if possible, keep the email brief and concise.

TIPS ON WRITING TO A LEGISLATOR

A letter or fax is still used as a method of communicating with a legislator's office. Writing a letter gives you, as a constituent, the opportunity to express and defend your position on an issue. Like emails, let your legislator know why you’re contacting him/her and keep your letter focused on one topic.

Addressing correspondence to a state legislator:

⇒ To a State Senator:

“Find Your Legislator”

Dear Senator (last name):

⇒ To a State Representative:

“Find Your Legislator”

Dear Representative (last name):

Addressing correspondence to a federal legislator:

⇒ To a Senator:

Dear Senator (last name):

⇒ To a Representative:

Dear Representative (last name):

⇒ Exception: