Calling Your Elected Official: Effective Way to Influence

Getting Organized— Half the Battle!

Depending on your level of desired engagement with elected officials, gather the names and phone numbers of the individuals with whom you want to engage. From your local school board to your senators in DC, take time to create a list of these individuals. Add them to your phone contact list so that they are convenient for you to use. It takes a few minutes to do this, but in the long run, it streamlines your process for calling. 

At the state level, the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission (LRC) is utilized to leave messages for state legislators (yours and all legislators). The phone number is 1-800-372-7181. They are open year-round and will take your message and deliver it to whomever you designate. The staff at LRC are wonderful, and you will find them friendly and helpful. You can also directly call your legislator’s office. 

If you aren’t sure who your representatives are, the Kentucky General Assembly website has a “Who’s My Legislator?” tool where you can enter your address to find your State Senator and State Representative. You can find this tool here: https://legislature.ky.gov/Pages/index.aspx (Look for the “Who’s My Legislator?”).

Here are direct links to find your legislators’ contact information:

• Kentucky State Senate: https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators/senate
• Kentucky House of Representatives: https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators (Click “House” tab)

At the federal level, the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 will direct you to your representatives’ or senators’ offices. You can also find the direct phone numbers for your legislators on their official websites. Try the following two links to gather contact information for your DC representative and senators: 

• https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
• https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

After entering your zip code or state, you will be directed to the appropriate contact pages complete with email and phone contacts. Be sure to gather the state office contacts for your legislators, too. 

Note: You can also extend your outreach to committee chairs. Use the following links to find the committee and chair contact information: 

• https://www.senate.gov/senators/leadership.htm 
• https://www.house.gov/committees

*You can also use the app 5 Calls to help you organize and call your state and federal officials. More on that later in this resource.

Prepping for The Call-Mindset and Goal 

Staffers are geared to gather information quickly and clearly. Their goal is to gather a few pieces of information from you as quickly as they can and move that data to the appropriate person up the chain. Knowing this, be prepared to get to the point and your ask of the official. Specifically,

• Be ready to give your name, address, and email. Remember, they are most interested in their constituents’ voices. They will often provide a follow-up to your call via email or letter.
• Be succinct and clear. State the bill or issue (e.g., SAVE ACT, Reconciliation Bill, Lack of Due Process, and Deportation)  you are calling about and your stance on that (oppose, support). Give a brief reason for your stance. (For example, the SAVE ACT will create barriers to voting for women. Voting fraud is extremely rare. This is voter suppression; it’s not about voting security.)
• Demand an action. For example, “I want Senator Paul to vote against the SAVE ACT”.
• Be polite. Remaining calm, but firm…passionate, but polite…direct, but not rude..those are the hallmarks of intelligent and civil discourse, which have been sorely lacking as of late. 
• Ask for a follow-up from the legislator. You’ve taken the time to call, you are concerned about something, the official has the ability to help enact change; therefore, you deserve a response of some sort. Also, making the staff have to act requires more of their time, which is a commodity. More time on an issue, more resources expended, more attention to that issue. In other words, make them have to do something in response to your ask. 
• Lastly, while rare, don’t engage with a staffer who may want to counter. They aren’t able to change anything. These are often young, overeager people trying to rise up in the DC machine. Simply, restate your position, your request to have that forwarded to the legislator, and your request for a response. 

*Some may feel intimidated to call about an issue because they think they don’t have the background knowledge about it. One tool that helps with this is 5 Calls, an app designed to help voters get their opinions to the officials. 

What’s Next? 

• Often, you are sent an email or letter as a follow-up to your call. Most likely, it’s a form letter or email crafted and sent by one of the staffers. 
• You may start to receive regular emails from the legislator. If you don’t want those, simply unsubscribe using the link at the bottom of the email.
• Persistence. Call again or use another form of communication to let legislators know how you feel. Flood the zone. 
• Encourage others to contact legislators. If someone starts complaining or expressing concern, help them move to action. Share what you’ve learned and do. 
• Set a goal for contacting legislators. Daily or weekly. Find an issue that is top priority for you or respond to the latest insanity. Like the old Nike ad… Just Do It!