Contact Your Representatives

Constituent contact works. Learn how to make your voice heard effectively.

Constituent Contact Matters

Congressional staffers consistently report that constituent calls influence decisions, especially on issues where representatives are undecided. Your voice matters more than you think — most people never contact their representatives at all.

Most to Least Effective

1

In-Person Meetings

Face-to-face meetings at district offices are most impactful. Bring a small group with personal stories.

2

Phone Calls

Calls are tracked and tallied. They're personal, immediate, and hard to ignore. Best for time-sensitive issues.

3

Personalized Letters/Emails

Original, personal messages carry more weight than form letters. Share your story and be specific.

4

Form Letters/Petitions

These are counted but carry less weight. Better than nothing, but personalization helps.

5

Social Media

Public pressure can help, but social media is often monitored by communications staff, not policy staff.

How to Make an Effective Call

Before You Call

  • • Know the specific bill number or issue
  • • Prepare your main point (one issue per call)
  • • Have your address ready (to confirm you're a constituent)

The Call Itself

  • • Call the district office (often more accessible than DC)
  • • Be polite to staff — they're the gatekeepers
  • • State your name and that you're a constituent
  • • Make one clear ask: "I'm calling to ask the Senator to vote NO on..."
  • • Briefly explain why it matters to you personally
  • • Ask for the representative's position on the issue
  • • Thank them for their time

Sample Script

"Hi, my name is [NAME] and I'm a constituent from [CITY]. I'm calling to ask [REPRESENTATIVE] to [SPECIFIC ASK — e.g., vote no on HR 1234]. This matters to me because [BRIEF PERSONAL REASON]. Can you tell me what the [Representative's] position is on this issue? Thank you for your time."

Find Your Representatives

Federal

State & Local

  • Find your state legislators
  • Search "[your city] city council" for local officials
  • County commissioners and school boards also make important decisions

Pro Tips

Do:

  • • Focus on YOUR representatives (they only care about constituents)
  • • Be specific about bills or policies
  • • Share personal stories — they're memorable
  • • Follow up and be persistent
  • • Thank them when they do what you asked
  • • Build relationships with staff over time

Don't:

  • • Be rude or threatening (it backfires)
  • • Ramble or cover multiple issues in one call
  • • Assume one call is enough — persistence matters
  • • Only contact representatives you disagree with
  • • Forget about state and local officials

Resources

  • 5 Calls — Makes calling easy with scripts and direct numbers
  • Indivisible Guide — Comprehensive guide to constituent advocacy
  • Common Cause — Tools for civic engagement
  • Resistbot — Text to send messages to your representatives