Call Your Representative

Calling your representative is an effective way to get your voice heard. Your opinion will be tallied, either in support or opposition, for a piece of legislation. This helps your representatives identify the most pressing issues that their constituents care about. To call your representative, use listed numbers on their government websites or switchboard numbers provided in the chart below. Ask to speak with your representative and you will be directed to their offices. Usually, a number of staff and interns will handle your phone call, this is still effective in getting your ideas and views expressed to your congressional representatives.

Phone Call Guidelines

The staff members usually handle a lot of call and information every day, so keep these guidelines in mind when making your phone call:

• Be prepared about what you want to say during the phone call.
• Identify yourself if you are a constituent, or represent an organization.
• Be concise about the information you want to deliver. Focus on one issue.
• Be direct with your purpose and position. Don’t give too much reasoning for your position.
• Ask the legislator to take a specific action. It could just be a simple “Yes” or “No” for a certain vote.
• Be polite with the staff and thank them by the end.