CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE

Three weeks or so is the golden window on the hill, and that’s about how early you should first contact the official you want to meet with. Any sooner than three weeks before you want to meet and you run the risk of getting ‘elbowed out’ in favor of other last minute meetings. Any later than that and you risk reaching out to a representative with a schedule that’s already filled up. 

Remember to keep your emails and requests concise and clear. Schedulers often get hundreds of emails a day, so it’s important that yours can be read quickly. Be sure to include your name, where you’re from, and what issue you want to talk about with them. It isn’t completely necessary to put your viewpoint or argument in the email- you’ll be able to tell them exactly how you feel when you email them.

If you’d like, that’s also a fine option. The same rules for calling apply to writing- being clear, concise, polite, and prepared is always a good way to stand above the crowd.

As frustrating as it may be, it isn’t uncommon to have to meet with a legislative aide instead of the legislator themselves. If the legislator is busy and unable to meet at a time that works for you, the scheduler will often ask if you’d like to meet with an aide who works with the topics that interest you (which is why telling them what you’d like to talk about in your scheduling call or email is so important). Legislative aides are a core component of the congressional fleet, as they often have the responsibility of reading and explaining bills to legislators, developing and researching policies in their area of expertise, and communicating with those groups closest to their field.

On a federal level, you can certainly try it. There’s no guarantee that there will be anyone available in the office, however, so it’s still best to call ahead to schedule something. State capitols may vary on policy, however, so it’s important to research the policies of your specific state’s officials before you try a ‘drop-in’ appointment on a more local level.

That depends upon what you’d like to get out of the meeting. If you just want to introduce yourself to your legislator and meet them in person, it isn’t necessary to go too overboard in preparations. Oftentimes, ‘meet and greet’ appointments move very quickly. If you have contacted them about a specific issue, however, it’s important to come prepared to explain your side of the debate and is a good idea to have some notes available. A ‘leave behind’ is a flyer that summarizes your position and what you stand for- they shouldn’t be longer than a page and should contain an overview of facts and figures that support your side. The Grange has many leave-behind materials that we have produced over the years. ‘Leave-behinds’ are a good way to make sure that they keep thinking about what you’ve said even after you’ve left.