Title: How to contact your legislator
Original CoS Document (slug): how-to-contact-your-legislator-1
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Attached File: How_to_Contact_Your_Legislator.pdf
Created: 2022-03-31 20:05:16
Updated: 2023-03-31 23:00:00
Published: 2022-07-06 03:00:00
Converted: 2025-04-14T20:03:52.654202974
How to Contact Your Legislator – Dos
and
Don’ts
As a District Captain you have two primary goals. You are essentially a mini State Director for your assigned
district and have the responsibility of:
●
Developing a relationship with your legislators
●
Recruiting, activating, training and motivating the volunteers in your district to become part of a strong
volunteer army.
There are many tools and resources to accomplish the second goal, but for most the prospect of personally
meeting with and talking with their legislators is a new experience and somewhat frightening. Presented here is
a guide to help you build that relationship. As you learn the process, bring along your volunteers and teach
them to do the same.
Contacting Your Legislator:
1. Emails: The least effective way to build a relationship with your legislator is thru emails. They very
seldom answer personally, but mostly thru from letters and automated responses based on your
subject.
2. The phone call:
a. You will probably talk to a legislative aid. Get the aid’s name and address them by name, provide
your info/subject, tell the aid you are a constituent and would like this info passed to the
legislator.
b. Have a few bullet points ready
i. That you support Convention of States (COS)
ii. You are seeking the legislators support
iii. Why you are a supporter of COS
c. Your tone and voice should be firm, concise and confident (practice)
d. If the aid says they have never heard of COS, you have an open door to ask for an appointment
with the legislator for a one-on-one.
e. Make a log of your phone calls – date, who and result and record on Patriot Games website or
LMS. (PG is the easiest)
f. Calling once is not enough. The aid and legislator need to get to know you. Multiple contacts
are needed to build the relationship.
3. The Actual Meeting:
a. Try to meet at their local office. If you try to get an appointment in Richmond during legislative
session you will most likely not see the legislator.
b. Dress business casual – no bumper sticker tee-shirt. You want to show respect for the office and
establish credibility. (even if you don’t like your legislator
c. Come armed with facts, leave emotion out of it. You are not there to win them over, but to offer
facts and ask questions.
d. Example – ask them on a scale of 1-10, 10 being most supportive, where would they fall? If they
are a 2, ask what would move them to a 4, or visa-versa if they are a 4 what would cause them
to move to a 2. This make them think about their answer.
e. You don’t have to be a constitutional scholar, just understand Article V and the process and be
able to answer the most common objections.
f. Your message from the 1st meeting should be that you are building a relationship. Your goal and
mind set are to remember sales rules. People are more likely to agree/buy from someone they
know, like and trust.
g. Remember that you can never make a second “first” impression. So, respect their time, show
up on time, stand face to face, look them in the eye, give them a firm handshake and thank for
their time. Let them know that you have and want to discuss the solution to the nation’s
problems.
4. The Handwritten Letter:
a. While a handwritten letter is not as effective as face to face, there is a time for one. If a
legislator gives you more than 15 minutes of their time, you owe them a written thank you note.
Write in blue ink.
b. A handwritten letter shows that you truly appreciate the time they spent with you and you
were serious about your concerns and not just crossing an item off a to-do list.
Conclusions:
Any meeting, phone contact, or conversation with a legislator is an opportunity to build a relationship. Always
be respectful and kind. Treat them the way you would like to be treated. Never do or say something in a way
that is offensive or emotional. This will turn them off immediately to your message. You may not get a second
chance. Visiting them once won’t cut it. This process takes tenacity and perseverance. NEVER GIVE UP. You
never know, the next time might be the breakthrough moment.