Contact your USA elected officials

• You can get their contact info above.

• As a USA resident, you have

  • 2 USA senators (except DC & territories)
  • 1 USA house representative (DC & territories non-voting open_in_new)
  • 1 governor (except DC)
  • 1 mayor
  • more state and local officials

• It's tempting to also call officials outside of your district, but that will hurt your cause open_in_new. Instead, ask your elected official to speak with their colleagues about an issue.

• If you're in the same party, it doesn't necessarily mean they're on the same side of an issue.

• If you're in different parties, you're still their potential future voter, and you might offer a story/perspective they've never heard.

Positive reinforcement can work as well as demanding accountability. Common ground and appreciation often make someone more open to your request or critique.

More issue-specific script ideas open_in_new

• They work for you: You pay them with your taxes and hire or fire them with your vote. You have every right to check in on your public servants and expect their accountability.

• You will likely get a staffer or voicemailbox: These are people who field calls all day, and are generally ready to help answer any of your questions. (They've probably already heard a lot of shouting today, so, assertive kindness, politeness, and brevity helps.)

• Contacts help: Even if you miss key points from these tips, you're still helping by calling at all; you're adding to the tally of calls for or against an issue.

• Still nervous? Try another method: If you need, you can avoid speaking directly to a person by calling after business hours to leave a voicemail. Or, send an email/letter.

• "Hello, my name is [your name] and I am a constituent living in [your ZIP code, city, state]."

• If you're part of a political group, mention that you're a member. 

If you have multiple issues to address, make multiple calls, devoting each one to a single issue.

• Example: Got 5 issues? Make 5 individual calls, voicemails, emails, or letters. Staffers are taking a quick tally for most common issues; they prefer 1 issue per contact so that it's easy to understand and relay to your elected official. Also, different staffers may handle different issues, so each call allows you to speak with the correct person

Immigration, health care, economy, etc.

Just saying, "You need to do something about ______ ." doesn't give them much to go on. Tell them politely, firmly, and precisely:

1. What the issue is: Be concise; use your script. What is the bill number, policy, etc.? Do you know your rep's current position to respond to?

2. Why the issue is important to you: Your position, reasons, story, evidence, etc. Explaining how the issue affects you or someone you know can be powerful.

3. How you want them to address it: How you want them to vote, react, what you want them to say publicly or to their colleagues, etc.

   • Ask a specific question: "How does the Senator/Representative plan to address this issue?" or "How does the Senator/Representative plan to vote on this bill?"

Try to get direct quotes; anything discussed is public information that can be shared. You can compare these with other calling constituents to see if the office is giving conflicting info.

Whether it's their contact back (remember to leave your contact info if so), or something you can follow up on, like their public statement or vote. Even a timeline when they'll be addressing the issue.

This way, you'll know whether they've followed through (and when to call back with your follow up).

• Explain why you made the call, and your experience with the office.

• Invite your friends to make similar calls.

• Tag your elected officials.

• Reach out directly to like-minded folks, with a clear, specific ask for them to make similar calls.

• Also reach out to a few people whom you have never talked politics with before: Explain why you made the call and why the issue is so important to you. Invite them to join your action.

• Perhaps form a quick contact list of sympathetic folks, so you can let them know to join you when you make future calls.

See that your officials follow through on your request within the expected timeline.

Then, call them back to:

• Confirm when they'll be acting, if they haven't yet.

• Thank them for fulfilling your request, if they have.

• Ask them why they didn't, if they didn't.