Meeting Tips
By far, the most effective way to communicate your views to your elected officials and positively affect the outcome of legislation is to speak with your lawmaker in person.
Affecting the political process begins with citizens staying informed on the issues and knowing who was elected to represent them at each level of government – whether it be on the City Council, County Board of Supervisors, State Legislature, or in the United States Congress. Remember, constituents determine who gets elected, and your lawmaker works for you.
State and federal legislators maintain one or more offices in the district they represent, known as the district office. This is your starting point when working with the State Legislature or Congress. The legislative staff will provide you with information about existing laws as well as proposed legislation.
They are your liaison to the legislative members. They are usually experts in a particular subject area, and speaking with them ensures that your concerns will be clearly communicated to the legislator.
When you wish to meet with your legislator in person, first contact the district office to ask for a meeting. Let them know of your concerns regarding a specific issue that is important to you as a voting constituent. Ask when the lawmaker will be in town, and identify a time that you can come in to discuss the issue.
Meeting with elected officials in person is an opportunity to make personal contact with decision-makers and to convey your position in a persuasive manner. A personal meeting allows you to tell your legislator what you think about a certain issue or bill and ask them to take specific action.
Here are some suggestions for a successful meeting:
Before the Meeting
During the Meeting
After the Meeting
Affecting the political process begins with citizens staying informed on the issues and knowing who was elected to represent them at each level of government – whether it be on the City Council, County Board of Supervisors, State Legislature, or in the United States Congress. Remember, constituents determine who gets elected, and your lawmaker works for you.
State and federal legislators maintain one or more offices in the district they represent, known as the district office. This is your starting point when working with the State Legislature or Congress. The legislative staff will provide you with information about existing laws as well as proposed legislation.
They are your liaison to the legislative members. They are usually experts in a particular subject area, and speaking with them ensures that your concerns will be clearly communicated to the legislator.
When you wish to meet with your legislator in person, first contact the district office to ask for a meeting. Let them know of your concerns regarding a specific issue that is important to you as a voting constituent. Ask when the lawmaker will be in town, and identify a time that you can come in to discuss the issue.
Meeting with elected officials in person is an opportunity to make personal contact with decision-makers and to convey your position in a persuasive manner. A personal meeting allows you to tell your legislator what you think about a certain issue or bill and ask them to take specific action.
Here are some suggestions for a successful meeting:
Before the Meeting
- Request a meeting in writing with specific dates and times. Follow up with a call to the scheduler or secretary to confirm the meeting.
- Make sure to convey what issue or bill you would like to discuss.
- Formulate your key points to support your view.
- Know what action you want to request from the legislator.
During the Meeting
- Be prompt.
- Always be polite.
- Keep it short, and present issues in a clear and concise manner. Most meetings do not exceed 15 minutes. Keep focused on why you are there.
- Take the time to thank the elected official for past support of your issues.
- Be sure to discuss how the issue directly affects you. Personal stories carry weight and truly achieve results. Provide personal and local examples of the impact of the legislation. The most persuasive argument to a legislator is how a bill will affect his or her district.
- Be honest and don't claim to know more than you do about an issue. You don't have to be the expert, just a committed and active constituent.
- Have pertinent material with you that you can leave with his or her office.
- Set a deadline or timeline for a response.
After the Meeting
- Follow up your meeting with a thank you letter to the legislator for taking time to consider your views.
- Be available to answer questions.
- Follow up on deadlines, and if they are not met, set up new deadlines.
- Be persistent to receive a response.