How To Be Heard by Your Elected Officials Sometimes voting is not enough when it comes to getting your voice heard. Writing to your congressional representative or senator may reach them, but there are times it falls short in making an impact; causing the letter to potentially get pushed to the side. Getting things done on a political level, you may have to go directly to the leaders at the top, face to face. Interacting with powerful people is intimidating, but a skill worth learning since it can boost our own civic powers. But what is the best avenue to approach this? Well, here are a few ideas that tend to work.
Escalating Through Proper Channels There is a reason voting happens to elect officials at all levels; to include School Board Members, City and County Representatives, all the way up to President of the United Sates of America. All elected members should have a publicly available email address. Email is the quickest and easiest way to contact an official, but depending on the level of the elected member, they may often have a staff reading their emails. If you compose a bold and persuasive email, you may receive a response quicker than you expected. It is important, however, to know what level your voice needs to be heard at first. You would not want to take a county concern straight to your Congressional Representative.
If there is no response by email, you can always call the Representatives Office to see if you could set up an appointment. Having a face-to-face conversation always creates a more personal impact, but Political Representatives are busy people, so their availability may be limited.
Another approach is to personally lobby for an issue. Attend your local school board, city council or your county board meetings. Reach out before their meeting in order to be scheduled a time to speak. There your concern will be heard, face-to-face, and on the Representatives previously scheduled meetings. You can also consider joining a civic organization. Did you know that your local Chamber of Commerce hosts events that your local Representatives attend? Reach out to your local Chamber and ask how you can be involved by joining a committee or if you own a business, becoming a member.
Courteous Exchange Remember, whichever way you try contacting your elected representatives, it is always important to remain polite and reasonable. They meet all sorts of people throughout the day, so be respectful as you may have to remind them of who you are and what your concern is. Be confident when you speak and ensure you do research of any possible weakness of your concern that can be argued. It can also help if during the conversation you address other avenues and steps you have taken for your concern.
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