Forward
Things to consider when contacting your representatives
Know who your representatives are.
- We can help you with that.
- Learn what their specific policy positions are, what they ran on in order to get elected, and why did or did not vote for them
Be familiar with the legislation that concerns you.
- Understand at least at a fundamental level how the bill affects the issue you care about.
- Know whether your representative actively supports the bill as a "sponsor" or public backer, or actively opposes the bill and has laid out specific reasons.
Are you comfortable calling their office and talking on the phone? Or is regular email for your style?
- Calling them directly gets you immediate feedback and acknowledgement that they have heard your concerns. On the other hand, they may never respond to your email. Giving them a chance to ask you for your proposed alternatives is the cornerstone of a functioning democracy.
- We recommend doing both! That way they have a written record of your request/suggestion/thoughts/comments, but they also know you cared enough to put yourself in the hot-seat on the phone.
If you are contacting them regarding concealed carry legislation, make sure you mention the Grand Rapids Concealed Carry coalition.
- Name recognition is very important, as it lends credibility to our concerns and preferences.
- Doing so helps coordinate their current and future policy decisions with our specific issue-bloc: responsible, trained, licensed, concealed carry.
Be respectful.
- Make your point.
- Say thank you.
- Wait for any questions.
- Hang up.
Calling
Example Call Outline
Representative/Senator Office:
"Hello this is <REP>'s office, <NAME> speaking."
You:
"Hi, my name is <YOUR NAME>, I am a constituent of <REP>, a member of the Grand Rapids Concealed Carry Coalition, and I [voted for/did not vote for] [her/him/them]. I wanted to comment on pending legislation."
Representative/Senator Office:
"Sure, go ahead."
You:
"I wanted to let [her/him/them] know that I [support/oppose] <BILL NAME(S)>."
SUPPORT
"[This bill]/[These bills] are important to me because they <EXPLAIN>."
OPPOSE
"[This bill]/[These bills] as they are currently written are not in the interest of your constituents such as myself because they <EXPLAIN>."
IF AMENDABLE
"I would really appreciate it if <REP> would support amending the bill slightly. I propose <EXPLAIN AMENDMENT>."
Representative/Senator Office:
"Okay thank you for letting us know that. I will pass the message on to <REP>"
or
"Got it. I have a question about your position...."
(Discuss to whatever extent you feel comfortable.)
You:
"Thank you for your time."
(Hang up)
Notes
The entire call should not take longer than a couple minutes.
Feel free to write out your spiel/explanation on a piece of paper so you don't get stuck or forget your position.
The person on the other end of the phone is also a person. They are usually very nice regardless of your position/affiliation.
It's only really valuable to mention that you voted for a public official when critiquing something they support, unless you intend to commit to supporting them in the future should they follow through with your suggestion
Emailing
Example Email Outline
Dear [Representative/Senator] <REP>,
My name is <YOUR NAME>, I am a constituent of <REP> and a member of the Grand Rapids Concealed Carry Coalition. I am taking the time to email you regarding pending legislation.
I wanted to let you know that I [support/oppose] <BILL NAME(S)>, because <EXPLAIN>.
IF AMENDABLE
I would truly appreciate it if <REP> would support amending the bill. I propose <EXPLAIN AMENDMENT>.
You may contact me with further questions either at this email address [or at my phone number, which is <PHONE>].
Thank you for your time, I look forward to hearing back from you,
<NAME>
Notes
The entire email should not take longer than five minutes to draft.
Take advantage of the fact that this is a digital format and hyperlink facts and figures for the representatives and their teams to reference. You can even hyperlink our pages about pending bills.
Providing as much information about yourself to confirm that you are indeed a constituent of theirs is important, which is why we recommend leaving a phone number (especially with a relevant area code).
It is especially important to be as civil and respectful as possible in an email, as there will be a signed, digital paper trail. Do not write anything you would not want coming back to haunt you.