For your first action, try either calling or emailing your representatives.
- If you already have an issue you want to talk about:
- take a moment to write down what you want to say
- If you're not sure what to talk about:
- check out recent action alerts - there are several good options on the Actions page
- Stick to a single topic
- Ask them to take action - to vote for or against a bill, to introduce a bill, to make a public statement, whatever you'd like them to do.
Once you know what you want to talk about, pick a method - email or phone call.
- phone calls are more effective - they carry more weight with your representatives
- emails can be faster and easier, especially for folks with social anxiety
Whichever method you choose, remember to be polite. It's more effective ... and it's the right thing to do.
Okay. You've got your topic, and you've got your method - now go ahead and do it!
- If you're making a call:
- Dial the number for your representative
- If a staffer answers the phone, give your name, and tell them what you're calling about
- If you get options for voicemail, leave a message
- If you're sending an email,
- Go to your representative's website and click their Contact Me link
- Enter your contact info
- Enter your request into the Message form
When you're done, add a note to the Calls and Contacts section of your spreadsheet.
Congratulations! You did it!
Now that you've done it once, you have a sense of how you can do it in the future.
Think about how often you'd like to practice your new habit: once a month? Once a week? Every day?
The more you practice your new habit, the easier it will become - and the more you'll know about what's going on in your government, locally and nationally, and how you can affect what happens there.
There are a lot more actions you can take:
- visiting the offices of your representatives
- making phone calls to encourage others to vote or register to vote
- joining a local pro-democracy organization
- donating money to pro-democracy groups
- volunteering to register voters
- sending postcards or letters to potential voters