Visiting Your Representative
How To Be Heard
by Carol W. LaGrasse
“Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.”- Jesus of Nazareth, in the parable of the unjust judge, Luke 18:5 KJV
The most effective way to be heard in the halls of the legislature is by visiting your representative at the office in the Capitol. Many circumstances argue against this sacrifice of time and money, whether the office is at Washington, D.C., or in the Legislative Office Building at the State Capitol, but there is no substitute for this impressive mission. The visit to the Capitol office has incalculable influence, especially if it is repeated several times on the same issue during the same legislative session.
It is not necessarily possible to visit the Capitol, however. So a visit to the District Office of the representative creates an all-important opportunity to be heard in person. Letters and telephone calls to the representative are essential, but a personal visit to the representative’s office is especially influential. The district office is the place where the representative reaches out to constituents and seeks to show the ability to satisfy the needs and complaints that they bring. And, it is often possible to make an appointment at the district office to discuss an issue directly with the representative, joined by the legislative aide. The important thing is to visit the representative in person.
There are three styles of visit to the representative: the informed individual citizen, the group visit by several members of your organization, and the rally or lobbying day style of visit.
The individual informed citizen can have a great deal of influence if the visit is well-planned and includes high-quality follow-up. The citizen should know exactly why he is making the visit and exactly what he is asking of the representative. He should know his situation or issue well and have a short, well-planned, but flexible, presentation. Finally, it is necessary to have materials to leave with the representative. One original item is worth a stack of hackneyed publications from other groups.
After the visit, a follow-up letter and telephone call are essential to tie down the specific nature of the request and the direction that was discussed at the meeting. Most representatives respond to citizen’s letters by sending vague, sympathetic letters, rather than promising action. There is the danger that the visit to the representative will fall into the same trap, the effort of the citizen diffused by empty courtesy.
A request might be that a bill be submitted about an issue or that the representative intervene on a matter involving unjust treatment by a regulatory agency. The possibilities are numerous. The requests that property rights activists bring to a representative are more challenging for the official to satisfy than common constituent requests related to government benefits. The citizen should be able to knowledgeably discuss the ideas for a bill with the legislative aide.
The follow-up is as essential as the initial visit. With rare exceptions, the representative will drop the ball unless the citizen continues to visit, telephone and write letters. At the same time, the appearance of news articles about the issue or the grassroots group’s activities, or letters to the editor, are like fertilizer on the ground that will grow the action by the legislature to deal effectively with your issue.
Whether involving three or thirty individuals, group visits are a big plus! The group visit demonstrates the strength and coherence of your organization. Even if the group carefully plans its spokespeople and the order of the meeting, a group visit tends to be less structured. Something may go wrong from the leader’s point of view, such as a member being discourteous as a result of the intensity of the issue, but your organization will have validated its importance by successfully making a group visit to your representative.
A rally at the Capitol where a hundred or more individuals fan out and visit the offices of selected representatives is the ultimate lobbying event for a grassroots organization. Busloads of citizens at the Capitol to attend a hearing or lobby their representatives are an event. The leaders should exploit the event to strengthen the organization. Clear goals, advance notice to media, advance appointments with the representatives, and materials for the grassroots to distribute at the offices of their representatives are some of the key aspects of successful a Capitol rally. Follow-up after such an exciting event must be unstinting. A cause of the magnitude to attract hundreds of citizens to the Capitol can succeed if the leadership is committed to the legislative process from beginning to end.
The Check List
Here are some essentials to consider before embarking on the visit to your representative and to check off after you have taken that first step toward your goal.
Before Your Visit — Questions to Ask Yourself
- What problem or issue do you face?
- Because of this problem, what is the goal that you ultimately seek?
- What would you like your representative to do to accomplish this goal, if you could ask anything you want that is within his power?
- What else do you think that your representative could do to help that would solve the problem, at least for now?
- What can you and your organization offer to make the effort a success? </ol>
Preparations
- Make an appointment.
- Use the telephone to “meet” the legislative aide who will deal with your issue, if possible.
- Find our which legislative committees your representative serves on or chairs.
- Make a copy of any letter to the editor that you have written that has been published on the issue, if applicable, and bring to meeting.
- Make a copy of one or two documents related to the regulatory problem you face, if applicable, and bring to the meeting.
- Make a short written summary of the issue or situation to bring to the meeting.
- Plan to describe the issue or situation briefly.
- If a group of several people is joining you at the meeting, make sure that all have understood the arrangements to arrive on time.
During Your Visit
- Assume that you have at most twenty minutes to one-half hour.
- Introduce yourself and, if you are not alone, everyone from your group, and write down the names of any members of the representative’s team who attend.
- Give a brief introduction to your issue or situation. If applicable, tell how your organization got started.
- Distribute copies of documents that you have brought. Describe your goal and ask for the assistance of the representative.
- During the discussion, introduce your planned request for assistance.
- As the need arises, discuss other alternatives that the representative and you have in mind.
- As the time draws to a close, try to point to an accomplishment of the meeting, express your appreciation, distribute the summary of your issue or situation that you brought along, and leave with a promise to be in touch shortly.
Immediate Follow-up after Your Visit
- Within two days, telephone the legislative aide who was at the meeting to express your appreciation and ask his viewpoint.
- Write a brief follow-up letter of appreciation to the representative, pointing to an accomplishment of the meeting, discussing your goal, and reiterating the request you have in mind to accomplish your goal. Tell what you are doing to help. Make sure that the aide receives a copy of the letter.
- Send any documents, clippings, and the like that you promised at the meeting.
Follow-up to Accomplish Your Goal
- Work regularly with the legislative aide, visiting the office again if appropriate.
- Regularly send the aide useful new material, including published letters to the editor, related to your cause.
- If you are the citizen leader responsible to reach the legislative goal for a major issue, continue with the many tasks needed to bring your legislation to enactment, whether these are citizen rallies, working with the legislative aide to have a companion bill introduced, or other projects.
- If you have visited your legislator to find regulatory relief from an unjust agency, keep abreast of the actions of the representative and his aide to meet with the agency and reach a solution that is fair to you.
Reprinted with permission. Property Rights Foundation of America