All politicians know their voting constituents hold the keys to their political futures. Politicians, particularly on the local level, care about constituent concerns a lot – and have created elaborate mechanisms to track constituent’s likes and dislikes.
Therefore, the best way to affect legislation is to directly and effectively communicate with your lawmakers. It is important to start with your own elected officials first. Then, if you wish to express your views to others who don’t directly represent you, you can do so. E-mail makes that quite easy.
First, determine who is the elected Senator and the two assembly members from the area where you live and from the area of your place of business. Identify your legislators. Secondly, record this information and, if you are planning to participate in any mailing efforts, print sheets of labels with their names and addresses; save the e-mail information in the “favorites” site of your computer. Thirdly, as you will often not be speaking directly to your elected official but rather to a member of his/her staff, record the name and title, if any, of that staff person and record this information where you keep the information of the elected officials. (Contact with legislative staff is critical, as staff has important input with lawmakers and expertise in most issues on which legislators will vote – particularly tax related issues.)
Once you have this information, communicating effectively is the key to getting your message heard. Here are some tips on effectively communicating with your elected officials:
1. WRITE EFFECTIVE LETTERS. The written letter is one of the easiest ways to let lawmakers know your views on specific issues, encourage them to vote your way, and advise them that you, your family and friends will watch how they vote on these issues from now until Election Day. Letters present your position in a clear and concise manner, without interruption. Keep your letter short and to the point, with just enough facts and figures to make your statement effective. Only make statements you can support with evidence. State that this specific issue affects you personally, and make it clear that you live, work and vote in his/her district. Since you are writing as a local business person, use your company letterhead. If, in addition to a local business owner, you are also a volunteer fireman, a member of a civic organization or a PTA or church member, mention that as well in the course of the letter. Use anything you think will enhance your message and ensure your concerns are taken seriously.
Here are three tips to refer to when drafting your letter:
- How to address your elected representative: Address letters to “Honorable _______,” and begin the letter “Dear Senator” or “Dear Assembly Member.” If writing to a Committee Chair or Speaker of the House, address him as “Mr. Chairman” or “Mr. Speaker.”
- Be brief, specific and always be courteous. Letters should not exceed one page, and the purpose of your letter should be stated clearly in the first paragraph. If your letter pertains to a specific issue, identify that as specifically as possible. To make sure your letter is as effective as possible, always be courteous, even if you disagree with your representative’s position.
- Ask the legislator to respond in writing. Always ask for a response to your letter. This gives you a hard copy of your legislator’s position on this issue for future reference and to document his/her position.
2. COMMUNICATING BY E-MAIL. Most local lawmakers can receive e-mail messages. Transmitting an effective e-mail message is similar to writing a letter, though this format is less formal and allows you to be brief in your message. Speed and brevity are the major advantages of e-mail. Be prepared for some lawmakers to “respond” to your e-mail message with a canned reflector message that may not specifically address your concern. Whether you receive a specific response to your message or not, request your lawmakers’ position in writing so you can document his or her position.
3. MAKE EFFECTIVE TELEPHONE CALLS. As bills move through the legislative process, there may not be enough time to write your legislators prior to a key vote. When you need to contact your lawmakers immediately, the telephone is the most effective means to communicate your views. Here are some telephone tips:
- Always identify yourself as a constituent. As someone who lives and votes in the district of the lawmaker being contacted, your phone call carries the most weight. Calls to representatives outside your home or business area can also be helpful, particularly if the elected official serves on the legislative committee that will consider the issue. However, always contact your own legislators first.
- State your point quickly and clearly. Limit your telephone call to one subject; be brief but specific. Your phone call should last at most only a couple of minutes. State the reason you are calling, giving a brief description of the issue. Remember, always be courteous.
- Be sure to give your name and home address and request that your legislator respond with a letter. You took the time to call, so politely ask the legislator to take the time to respond. Ask for his/her position in writing on this important issue.
- You should identify yourself as either a business owner or employee of a local business. By identifying yourself as a voting constituent and as a business owner/operator/manager, as well as a volunteer fireman, civic group member or a PTA, VFW or American Legion member, lawmakers will find it hard to dismiss your call.
4. PARTICIPATE IN PERSONAL MEETINGS. The most effective way to articulate your views and to affect the outcome of legislation is to speak with your lawmaker face-to-face. While personal visits are extremely productive, they require planning to ensure success. When planning a personal visit, do the following:
- Schedule an appointment. Elected officials have extremely hectic schedules. To increase the chance that you will speak directly with your legislator, call in advance to set up an appointment. Most personal meetings will be scheduled at your lawmakers’ District Offices, so contact these offices to make your appointment.
- Begin by explaining how the specific issue will directly affect you. Use specific examples to show how a tax will affect your business, your employees and your current occupants and future occupants, for example.
- Always be polite. Nothing will hurt your cause more that visiting a lawmaker and being rude or unpleasant. Even if you disagree with the position of your legislator, be courteous. Dress professionally to convey the seriousness of your visit. Always try to leave a written description of the issue and your position with the legislator.
- Follow up your visit with a letter. Regardless of how your meeting goes, send a letter to your legislator thanking him/her for his/her time, and reiterating the points you discussed. This gesture will go a long way, and possibly allow for future meetings.
- If your lawmaker is unavailable, meet with staff. Your legislator may not be available for a meeting; if not, schedule an appointment with the staff member who is responsible for your specific issue of concern. Legislative staff will bring your concerns to the legislator, have influence on legislators’ voting decisions and often have helpful expertise on your issue. Send a follow-up letter to the staff member you met. Many legislative staff members later run for office themselves, so these relationships can be invaluable in the future.
- Bring sufficient materials to share with your lawmaker and staff. These materials bolster our position and serve as valuable reference materials after your meeting has concluded.
5. ATTEND LOCAL COMMUNITY MEETINGS. Lawmakers sometimes host community meetings in their districts – especially when particular issues like taxes become contentious – to solicit feedback from constituents. Political clubs, civic groups, churches and tenant or homeowner groups also host meetings. Such meetings are prime opportunities for you to publicly ask your lawmaker to state his/her position on the issues for the record in an open forum. These guidelines may be helpful when you are attending community meetings:
- Place your name on the attendance list and attend the meeting. Write your legislator and ask to be put on the invitation list for the particular community meeting. If they do not have such a list, ask for information on the next meeting; when you receive information that a community meeting is scheduled, be sure to attend, and share this information with your county coordinators, so that they can notify other landscape professionals to attend as well.
- Prepare questions ahead of time. Write your questions on index cards beforehand, such as asking for the legislators’ position on issues and updates on those issues. You do not need to have a specific bill number, but merely refer to the issue titles.
- Get an answer. Ask your question clearly, and as simply as possible, e.g., “Do you support or oppose this issue?” If your legislator doesn’t answer your question sufficiently, politely repeat the question.
- Follow-up with a letter. Whether you had the opportunity to ask your question or not, follow up with a letter to your legislator and tell him or her that you attended the community meeting. Ask your question in your letter even if you had the opportunity to do so at the meeting, or address his response to any issue another constituent may have asked. This letter will ensure your legislator takes you and your views seriously, and will allow you to obtain a written response addressing your concerns that you should also share with your fellow industry members.
Remember: every letter, e-mail, phone call and personal visit is logged by staff to show the legislator how constituents feel about an issue. – New Jersey Self Storage Association