Visiting a Public Official
Visiting your legislators is the most personal and effective way to communicate your views. Face-to-face visits allow you to develop a relationship with them and to make them aware of your issues and concerns. Read the tips below and view our free online advocacy training for more information about communicating with your Congresspersons.
Your visit will be most effective if you follow a few simple guidelines:
- Call ahead to find out your appointment options for a visit with your legislator on Capitol Hill or in his or her home district office. Be sure to tell the staffer that you are a constituent.
- Inform the staff member of the issue you would like to discuss and the number and names of people attending the meeting. A written request may be required.
- Visits in the home district can be hard to arrange, but they often produce very effective meetings.
- Do your homework. Before your visit, learn as much as you can about the issue and about your representative, including party affiliation, committee assignments, voting record and position on the issue at hand.
- Be prompt. Be patient. Be flexible. And don't get offended if your legislator is late. Members and staff schedules are very crowded.
- Plan ahead. Keep your message simple, direct and brief. Know what you want to say and to ask. Hill visits usually last between 15 and 20 minutes but sometimes can be much shorter. Focus on the issue, its importance and the action you want your legislator to take.
- Start with your own story. A personal story puts a face on the issue, which is easier to remember and harder to dismiss. Let your legislator know how cancer and specifically the issue at hand have directly affected you and your family.
- If you go with a group, develop a plan for speaking. Pick a spokesperson and an order of speaking. Practice in advance with role-playing.
- Don't be disappointed if you meet only with a staff member. Staff members are influential even though they are often young. Approach meetings with them as if you're meeting with your legislator. It is important to educate staffers, so they can convey your message to their bosses.
- Have a condensed version of your key points ready to leave behind, in case your meeting gets cut short.
- Always make a specific request for action by the legislator.
- Try to answer any question you're asked, but if you can't answer the questions during the meeting, get back to them with the requested information.
- Bring a fact sheet outlining your basic message and leave that paper with the person you are visiting. Be sure your contact information is included. These materials will strengthen your cause and serve as a valuable reference after the meeting.
- Leave your name, address, phone number and e-mail address.
- Follow up with a thank you note outlining what was covered and reiterating your goals. At this time, you should send any information requested by your legislator.
- Often the first meeting with a legislator produces a general response. As a constituent, you have the right to ask for a more concrete response.
