CSE Guide to Lobbying Congress

Please also see CSE’s Townhall Meetup Homepage at www.cse.org/meetup !

Citizens for a Sound Economy’s (CSE) Guide

to Lobbying Your Elected Officials

Despite the slick, well-funded special interest lobbyists that constantly roam the halls of Congressional office buildings in Washington, D.C. and your state capitols, in the eyes of elected officials, the most effective lobbyists are their constituents. Politicians are keenly aware of the fact that it is their constituents who hold the keys to their political futures. And as a result, constituent concerns are of the utmost concern to politicians. The best way you can affect the outcome of legislation is to directly communicate your views to your lawmakers.

Remember, your lawmakers work for you and since the number one concern of all politicians is to get re-elected, be sure you communicate your concerns with your own elected officials first. To assist you in this endeavor, CSE suggests the following tips on effective communication strategies with your elected officials:  

Knowing your lawmakers’ office

Whether state or federal, the make-up of the offices of your elected officials is somewhat similar. Each legislator has a staff to assist him/her during their term in office. To be effective in communicating with these offices it is useful to know the titles and principal functions of key staff.

Commonly used titles:

Administrative Assistant or Chief of Staff :
The Administrative Assistant reports directly to the member of Congress. He/she usually has overall responsibility for evaluating the political outcome of various legislative proposals and constituent requests. This person is in charge of overall office operations, including the assignment of work and the supervision of key staff.

Legislative Director, Senior Legislative Assistant, or Legislative Coordinator :
The Legislative Director is usually the staff person who monitors the legislative schedule and makes recommendations regarding the pros and cons of particular issues. In some congressional offices there are several Legislative Assistants and responsibilities are assigned to staff with particular expertise in specific areas. For example, depending on the responsibilities and interests of the member, an office may include a different Legislative Assistant for health issues, environmental matters, taxes, etc.

Press Secretary or Communications Director:
The Press Secretary’s responsibility is to build and maintain open and effective lines of communication between the member, his/her constituency, and the general public. The Press Secretary is expected to know the benefits, demands, and special requirements of both print and electronic media, and how to most effectively promote the member’s views or position on specific issues.

Appointment Secretary, Personal Secretary, or Scheduler:
The Appointment Secretary is usually responsible for allocating a member’s time among the many demands that arise from congressional responsibilities, staff requirements, and constituent requests. The Appointment Secretary may also be responsible for making necessary travel arrangements, arranging speaking dates, visits to the district, etc.

Caseworker:
The Caseworker is the staff member usually assigned to help with constituent requests by preparing replies for the member’s signature. The Caseworker’s responsibilities may also include helping resolve problems constituents present in relation to federal agencies, e.g., Social Security and Medicare issues, veteran’s benefits, passports, etc. There are often several Caseworkers in a congressional office.

Other Staff Titles:
Other titles used in a congressional office may include: Executive Assistant, Legislative Correspondent, Executive Secretary, Office Manager, and Receptionist.

Writing your elected officials

If you haven’t communicated with an elected official before, and you want to get started, the simplest thing you can do is utilize the results-oriented method of letter writing. As a voting constituent, a letter is an easy way for you to let lawmakers know your views on specific issues, encourage them to vote your way, and let them know you’ll watch how they vote on a particular issue and keep that vote in mind when it comes time for their re-election. Try and keep your letter short and to the point, with just enough facts and figures to further enhance your statement. Never lie or make a statement you can’t back up with evidence. Always let your lawmakers know how a specific issue will affect you, make sure they understand that you live and vote in their district or state, and therefore, what affects you may affect other constituents as well.

Always identify yourself as a member of CSE when writing your elected officials. CSE has a nationwide membership of more than 360,000 passionate volunteer activists working 365 days a year to affect policy change on behalf of lower taxes, less government, and more freedom. Elected officials know and respect this kind of grassroots power.

Four important things to remember when writing your letter:

1. How to address your representative: Address your letters to "The Honorable _______," and begin the letter "Dear Senator" or "Dear Representative." If writing to a Committee Chairman or Speaker of the House, address them as "Mr. Chairman" or "Mr. Speaker."
2. Be brief, specific, & courteous: Ideally, letters shouldn’t exceed one page, and the purpose of your letter should be stated clearly in the first paragraph. If your letter pertains to specific legislation, identify it accordingly. To make sure your letter is as productive as possible, always be courteous, even if you disagree with your representative’s position! Never threaten or use abusive language. This only hurts our cause.
3. Ask them to respond: Always ask for a response to your letter. You’ll want a hard copy of your legislators’ positions on these issues for future reference and to document their positions.
4. When in doubt, ask CSE: The staff at CSE are seasoned political and policy experts. Feel free to contact them with any questions that you might have by calling CSE’s toll-free member hotline at 1-888-564-6273 .

Faxing

Faxing has become increasingly popular, as more and more Americans have gained access to fax machines. In fact, nearly all state legislators and U.S. Senators and Representatives have published fax numbers but CSE staff can always assist you in acquiring a fax number that you cannot find. Faxing also allows you to send a full, letter-length message to your representatives in a matter of minutes for just the cost of a phone call. When preparing a fax message to a lawmaker, follow the same basic guidelines used when mailing a letter via regular mail. You also want to make sure your fax number is clearly visible, in case your legislator wishes to respond to you via fax.

Email

Email allows you to communicate with your representatives in the quickest and easiest manner. Unfortunately, because of the incredible volume of email legislators on the state and federal level receive; the impact of the individual email as opposed to the individual letter is greatly limited. This does not mean that emailing your elected officials is useless as a lobbying tactic. It just takes large amounts of email on an issue to catch the legislator’s attention. Large email campaigns that generate short, simple messages at a critical time (such as right before a vote or election) can have a huge impact and make great activities for you and other like-minded members of your community. Again, follow the basic guidelines for a written letter when you send an email message.

Phone calls

As bills move through the legislative process, you will find there simply isn’t enough time to write your legislators immediately before a key vote on a certain issue. When you need to get in touch with your legislator immediately to let him know of your stand for lower taxes, less government, and more freedom, your telephone calls become the most effective means for you to communicate your views.

Four things to remember when calling your elected officials:

1. Identify yourself as a constituent: As someone who lives and votes in the district or state, your phone calls carry the most weight. Calls to representatives outside your district or state are helpful as well, however, be sure to contact your legislators first.
2. Identify yourself as a member of CSE: Earlier we discussed the impact that your association with CSE can have. Over time this will begin to resonate with the offices of elected officials as you build relationships with them. As the CSE presence in your area grows in strength and gains credibility, the fact that a “CSE member is calling” will mean more and more.
3. State your point quickly and clearly: Be sure to limit your telephone call to one subject and to be brief, but specific. Your phone call should last only a few minutes. Let them know why you’re calling, giving a specific bill number if possible. As with any communication with your elected officials remember to always be courteous and never threaten or use abusive language. This only discredits you, and harms our overall efforts.
4. Request that your legislator follows up your call with a letter: Be sure to give your name and home address and request that your legislator follow up with a letter. You took the time to call, have your legislator take the time to respond.

Personal meetings

By far, the most effective way to articulate your views to your elected official and to affect the outcome of legislation is to sit down and speak with your lawmakers (or if they are not available; key staff) either one-on-one or in a small group accompanied by other like-minded activists within your community. While these personal visits are extremely productive, they also require the most amount of planning to ensure success.

Four things to remember when planning a personal visit with the office of your elected officials:

1. Schedule an appointment: Elected officials have extremely hectic schedules. To ensure that you will have time allotted for you to speak directly with your legislator, call in advance to set up an appointment. If you call enough in advance, speaking to your elected official directly should not be a problem. However, if they are not available due to a scheduling conflict or a last minute problem, it is still worth your time to meet with the staff person that handles the issue that you want to discuss.
2. Explain how the proposed legislation will directly affect you: Use specific examples to show your lawmaker how free market issues affect you and the freedom of our country. If the proposed measure cuts taxes, limits government, or otherwise benefits the consumer, specifically cite examples to support this position.
3. Again, always be polite: Nothing is as detrimental to a visit with a lawmaker or their staff than rudeness, vulgarity, or threats. Even if you disagree with the position of your legislator, be courteous, keep calm, and do not become overly agitated. Also, be sure to dress professionally to convey the seriousness of your visit.
4. Follow up your visit with a letter: Regardless of how your meeting goes, send a letter to your legislator or the staff person you met with thanking him or her for their time, and reiterating the points you discussed. This gesture will help your case, and pave the way for future meetings.

Attend town hall meetings

Elected officials often host town hall meetings in their districts to show their achievements and solicit feedback from their constituents. Such meetings are a prime opportunity for you to ask your lawmakers to state their position on CSE’s agenda of lower taxes, less government, and more freedom, on the record and in an open and public forum.

1. Get on the invitation list, attend the meetings, and bring as many other members of your community that can attend: Write your lawmakers and explain that you are a CSE member. Ask to be put on the invitation list for the lawmaker’s town meetings and ask to bring other CSE members from your community. If they do not have such a list, ask for information on the next meeting. When you receive word that a town meeting is scheduled, be sure to make plans to attend, and share this information with others.
2. Prepare questions ahead of time: Have specific questions in mind, e.g., ask for your legislator’s position on a specific bill or issue relating to taxes, government spending, property rights, Social Security, etc.
3. Get an answer: Ask your question clearly and directly and expect a direct answer. If your legislator sidesteps or doesn’t answer your question, calmly repeat it e.g., "Do you support fundamental tax reform or maintaining the status quo?"
4. Follow-Up With a Letter: Whether you had the opportunity to ask your question or not, follow up with a letter to your legislator. Let he or she know you attended their last town hall meeting. Ask your question in your letter if you didn’t have an opportunity to do so at the meeting. This letter will ensure your lawmakers take you and your views seriously, and will allow for you to obtain a written response addressing your concerns.