DO

1) Remember that time is precious. All letters, phone calls, office visits, etc. to your lawmaker should be “short and sweet”. Get to the point soon and focus on your issue.

2) Include the Bill number and/or name of the legislation or regulation in all communication.

3) Explain in simple and straightforward terms the logic supporting your position. The most effective logic often involves jobs, cost, and how many people it will effect.

4) Remember that the lawmaker’s staff is as important to you as the lawmaker. Staff often are the ones who prepare the issue summary, including a vote recommendation, for the lawmaker.

5) Take advantage of “strength in numbers.” This is true of letters, faxes, email, phone calls, office visits, financial support, etc. Many issues are decided on the volume of communications received.

6) Remember that the more responsibility and involvement you assume, the more vigorous the commitment and support you can expect from your lawmaker. Know your issue.

7) Include your name, address, and phone number (home and office) on all communication. This allows your lawmaker and staff to contact you for appropriate follow-up and it also reminds that lawmaker that you are the constituent.

8) Follow-up with letters, calls, etc. Make a commitment to your cause.

9) Remind your lawmaker how many people (read votes) in your organization share your position.

10) Always have a “position paper” that clearly states your position and logic. This is also called a “leave behind” for office visits. Other effective “leave behinds” are buttons, hats, bumper stickers, etc. to make your visit more memorable to the lawmaker.

11) Include your lawmaker on your organization’s mailing list.

12) Be patient. Sometimes neither you nor the lawmaker will know the outcome for months.

13) Be a good winner and a good loser. Your adversary on one issue might be your ally on the next issue.

14) Invite your lawmaker and staff to your place of business or other appropriate location(s) that will put a human face on the issue you are discussing.

15) Understand that you and your lawmaker sometimes will have to compromise. Assess what you can realistically achieve in this session and work on the rest later.

16) Ask lawmakers to state their position. If it agrees with yours, ask what you can do to strengthen that support. If it differs with yours, ask what information or show of public support is necessary to change that position. If they’ve not decided, ask what information and public support you can supply to help with the decision making.

17) Support your PAC so it can support lawmakers who support you. Even your best friend can’t help you if he/she is not in office.

18) Use the news media (letters to the editor, guest editorials, news, stories, etc.) to help create public support for your positions. Lawmakers are constantly looking to see what “the people want” on issues.

19) Write a thank you note to the lawmaker no matter what the outcome (remember item #13) of your issue.

20) Remember, you and your lawmaker need each other.

DON’TS

1) Confuse the issues. Two or three issues are about as much as you should cover in one letter, call, visit, etc.

2) Use form letters. Form letters are not taken seriously and interpreted as the action of a single person rather that as broad support.

3) Underestimate the weight given to letters and phone calls. Many legislative offices multiply each letter received by 50 (i.e. if they get 200 letters they’re counted as 10,000 letters). Two hundred letters on any issue (except high profile issues like abortion and gun control) are considered and avalanche of public support.

4) Use jargon. You’re not speaking to your colleagues in the office. Your lawmaker may have little or no knowledge of your issue or its jargon.

5) Contact a lawmaker and then drop the issue. Persistence pays off.

6) Say you’re contacting your lawmaker because your organization told you to do so. Lawmakers respond to people (voters) not organizations.

7) Make PAC contributions at the same time you are asking for legislative/regulatory support.

8) Ignore opportunities to visit with your lawmaker at home. They may be “King of the Hill” at the Capitol, but, they’re “jes folks” at home.

9) Ever lie. Anything less that full honesty will erode your lawmaker’s ability to commit to you and your issue. If there are some rough spots, acknowledge them early and work on avoidance strategy together with your lawmaker.

10) Never forget that you and your lawmaker need each other.

For reprints, contact

Patrick B. Haggerty
9915 Hillridge Drive
Kennsington, MD 20895-3230

301-942-1996
  FAX 301-942-9740

This material may only be copied, reproduced, sold or otherwise distributed with the express written permission of Patrick B. Haggerty.

Introduction | Table of Contents | Citizen Advocacy | Dealing with Legislators | Communication | Decision Makers | Marketing Tips | Educating Decision Makers | Political Environment | Support Base | Advisory Boards | Perceptions | Ideas | Resource Links | Challenge | Credits