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Pick Up the Phone

Telephone calls are one of the simplest, fastest, and most valuable ways of communicating with your members of Congress.  Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and call your lawmaker’s office.

A few tips to remember regarding phone calls: 

• Don’t be afraid to call!  Members of Congress want to hear from their constituents.  Your voice matters most of all.  You don’t have to be an expert to call. 
  
  
• Most congressional offices keep track of the volume of calls received about a given issue.  The more people who call, the more likely it is that the legislator will pay attention to that issue and act favorably.
   
  
• You should definitely ask to speak to your legislator directly, but if he or she is unavailable (as is likely the case) ask to speak to the legislative assistant for education or the legislative director.
   
  
• If the congressional staffer is unavailable, ask to leave a voicemail message for him/her.  You can also leave a message with the receptionist.  Again, it is important to leave a message otherwise they won’t be able to keep track 
  
  
• Be brief!  Be concise!  Remember, congressional offices get many, many phone calls and they might tune you out if you go on too long.  You may even want to write out your phone message on a piece of paper before you call.  
  
  
• For example, for the 3rd Annual Dear Colleague Campaign, for you might say something like:  “Hello, my name is (____) and I’m calling from (city).  I’m a (parent, Kiwanis, reading coach, small business owner) and I volunteer with Reading Is Fundamental.  I’m calling to ask that my Congressman/Congresswoman sign the funding support letter to the appropriations subcommittee that is being circulated by ([Senators Dole and Stabenow] or Congressman Don Young and Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson]).  Our RIF program gets federal dollars and RIF makes a difference for the kids in our community.  I’d like to tell you more about how RIF helps our kids so please don’t hesitate to call me at (telephone number).  Thank you for your time.” 
  
  
• When leaving a message, leave your name and phone number.  Repeat both before hanging up.  Speak slowly and clearly. Be sure to follow up with a quick phone call later.
  
  
• Call your elected official’s Washington, DC office.  You can reach any member of Congress by going through the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.  The operator will then connect you with the congressional office you desire.  Or you can call your lawmaker’s office directly.  Calls to the local office are second best because your message will have to be relayed to the Washington, DC staff person.