Writing Letters to Elected Politicians
A great way to let your elected leaders know how you stand on an issue is to write them letters. You can also call or email, but a formal, written letter is a good way to send documented information about your beliefs. Most government and political offices timestamp and record all incoming mail, so don’t think that your letter will be added to a pile of unread mail.
I write to my congress representatives whenever action is going to be taken on something I consider important. Almost always, I get some sort of response back (usually a form letter). If you don’t know how effective your letters will be, just think about how each letter makes a difference. If an elected politician hears from enough constituents on an issue or topic, this will influence the politician’s stands on these issues.
Where to Send the Letters
There are so many different political leaders in the United States that it would take me forever to provide everyone’s accurate contact information here. I suggest you go to www.congress.org. This site is private and non-partisan, but it provides the contact information for the elected politicians in your area based on your zip code.
What to Write
Write a clear, professional letter that addresses the points you want to make. This might be difficult if you are emotionally charged about the topic you are writing on. I suggest you write down everything you are thinking and feeling. Put the letter away for a day, allowing yourself time to calm down. Then, go back to the letter and edit it. You can easily write a powerful letter without extreme statements or accusations.
You can offer some personal information about yourself to establish yourself as a constituent, and then quickly move into the reasons why you are writing. Try to stick to facts as opposed to writing based on your emotions—this will be more readily accepted and acknowledge by the political aides who will be reading your letter first.
Unless you want to end up on a special list, I suggest that you do not write crazy, ranting letters. I’ve worked in a federal government office, and I can honestly tell you that these letters are logged before being put into a “special” box.
End your letter by stating the kind of action you would like taken by your elected politician. Thank them for their time, and cordially sign the letter. Everything counts in politics, so exercise your rights to write.
Comments
Hey, thanks for this. Am referencing your hub if that's okay.
It seems to me that the current politicians are to worried about either the next election or the common interest group that give them the most money.
What we need are politicians that actually care about the American needs and not what lines their pockets the best.
We are sending millions of jobs overseas and not trying to get them back.
We allow the foreign countries to impose taxes on our goods that makes our goods cost more and make our products more expensive then home made products. Why shouldn't we do the same these to the other countries. At least then we would be competitive.
Its not all the governments faults, but its also the big company faults, because they are just looking after their pocket book and not the after the American people.
We also need to get off of gas, which is the fault of the oil companies and the government. The design of the engine has not changed since the model T. Sure we have gotten rid of the carburetor and distributor cap, but we are still try to convert the up and down motion of a piston to a circular motion (Transmission). This is not an efficient way of converting energy, and I think the reason we haven't changed is, because the oil companies and the government are in bed together, because if we went off oil just think how many companies would lose on this. We have sent people to the moon, and can make a screen so small we can't read it. Why can't someone redesign the engine. Hell get rid of the engine and try something different. The American people know how to make a better car that can compete with other counties if we were left to do it.
Also we are Americans, and we have made mistakes. Acknowledge the mistakes and move and let people be how they want to be. Don't change text books to change the story, but just tell the truth and let people decide on their own.
Everyone needs to accept the other persons belief and allow the to express this. If a person wants a cross or a Buddha on their desk they should be allowed. That person is not forcing their belief on the other person, they are just expressing their point of view. It may make them happy to see this figure in the morning. Why should they be deprived of seeing this. You have to be sensitive other peoples feelings, but we have taken it to the extreme and that is wrong.