government relations
How to Contact Your State Legislators Julie Brown, WMEA State Chair, Government Relations
Staying connected to your legislators is important; it helps keep you educated on what your leg- islator is doing on your behalf – re- gardless of whether or not you voted for him or her – and
helps keep your legislator up to speed on what matters most to you – his or her con- stituent! If you’ve never contacted your legislator, though, the thought of doing so may seem to be a daunting or intimidating task. I can tell you that I was very nervous in contacting my legislators the first time, simply because I didn’t know what to expect or if there was a “proper protocol” I was supposed to follow. If you’ve never
contacted your legislator before, here are a few simple tips to help make the experi- ence as productive as possible for both you and your elected representative.
Who is my legislator? The answer to this question is very easily answered by going to the following address… http://legis.wis-
consin.gov/pages/waml.aspx. Once there, you will be asked to enter your street ad- dress, city and zip code. You will then be transferred to a page that will give you the office phone numbers and email addresses of your state senator and representative in the state assembly.
Ok, email or phone? This question is best answered based on your own preference. If you are the type of person who likes to write out what you want to say and take a lot of time choosing your words, then email would probably be best. If you like the connection of a phone call, then go with that. Either way works in contacting your legislator. Personally, I prefer email for the initial communication simply because I know that my message will get forwarded on exactly from the office staffer to my legislator.
Wait… Staffer? I want to connect with my legislator! Know that whether you contact your legislator via email or phone, you will almost always connect initially with a staffer in your legislator’s office. All legislators have staffers to help organize schedules and field questions from constituents and the media. Having contacted several legislators on several different occasions, I can tell you that some staffers are better at relaying mes- sages than others. This often is directly related to how busy the legislator is at the time. The best thing to do is follow up if the reason you are contacting them war- rants doing so.
Some basics. Regardless of whether you communicate to a staffer or your legisla- tor, always remind him or her of your name, that you are his or her constituent
54 “If you’ve never
contacted your legislator before, here are a few simple tips to help make the experience as productive as possible…”
(that’s a biggie!) and any other important information you want him or her to re- member about you (like where you teach, for example). Both staffers and legislators communicate with a lot of people through- out the course of the day, and they will appreciate the reminder of who you are and why you are contacting them.
Face-to-face communication. If your ultimate goal is to set up a face-to-face meeting with your legislator, be prepared to not have more than 10-30 minutes with your legislator. Plan what you want to say to maximize your time. Be prepared, but don’t worry if you don’t have all the answers. Be willing to say, “I’ll get back to you on that” or “I’ll check on that and let you know.”
I encourage you to connect with your state legislators. Tell them how you feel they are doing. What do you like about what they are doing? What do you wish they would do differently? These people are supposed to represent those who live in their districts… are they representing you by how they vote and by what bills they support? I encourage you to make your voice heard and stay connected!
Julie Brown teaches instrumental music in the Appleton Area School District. Email:
brownjulie@aasd.k12.wi.us
April 2014
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