Communicating with Your Legislator

Of course it is important for any interest group to motivate its members to communicate with their local elected officials.   The goal is to maximize the effectiveness of member communication.

Communication can take many forms.  Most elected officials report that the most popular means to communicate with them, in order of effectiveness, are

# 1 - In person, face to face conversation.

# 2 - Phone call from a constituent in their district.

# 3 - Personal, hand written letter from a constituent.

# 4 - Typed letter from a constituent.

# 5 - Email from a constituent.

# 6 - Fax from a constituent.

# 7 - Letter from a trade or professional association.

Always remember that elected officials are people just like you and are in office to represent you.  You should feel comfortable discussing issues and presenting your opinions about those issues, including specifically when you are speaking as a member of a group that will be impacted by pending legislation.

Here are some tips when communicating with lawmakers:

In Person

  • Be on time!
  • Introduce yourself to his/her staff and distribute business cards liberally.
  • Have a brief agenda and stick to it.  Brief means no more than three key points.
  • Answer questions when you can and promise to get an answer when you can’t.
  • Send a personal follow-up letter summarizing your key points.

Phone Call

  • Most often, your phone call will be handled by a staff person.  If you get to speak to the legislator, consider it a bonus.
  • Tell them your name, business and location.
  • In 60 seconds, identify the piece of legislation, your position and how it affects you and your business.
  • Ask for a response from the lawmaker.
  • Thank the staff person, by name, for their time.

Letter

  • Keep it short.  One page is best!
  • Identify the piece of legislation, your position and how it affects you and your business.
  • Use your own words.  More personalization means more effectiveness.  Emphasize how it affects jobs in their district.
  • Ask for a response by letter or email.
  • Thank him/her for considering your position.

Email

  • Again, if you want someone to read it, make it short!
  • Follow the same tips as for letters above, but make the subject line clear and professional.  As an example, use “HB 1234-Inspection Fees”, as opposed to “Fees will kill my business”.

If you EVER have questions about issues or need more information to communicate with your lawmaker, contact ORA Director of Government Affairs Richard Mason at 614-246-0130 or rmason@ohiorestaurant.org.

THANK YOU for your help!