Whether you are meeting with your city councilman or your congressperson, you have a message to convey and you want to make the best of the time you are allotted. Whatever it is you want; be it a law against allowing dogs to ride unsecured in the back of a pick-up truck in your community, a state law against taxing sunflower farmers or a federal law against diverting military funds, you have a voice. And there is nothing sweeter to the ears of a politician than the voice of a constituent. They want to meet with you; it gives them a chance to demonstrate why they should win your vote, and to hear what the issues are closest to your heart.
Is Your Issue Local, State or Federal?
Determine if your issue is a local, state or national one. If your issue is something that will affect primarily the people in your community, start with your city council person or county commissioner. If your agenda is more of a state or federal concern, meet with your state representative or your congressman, respectively. Once you have decided who the best person to help further your cause is, find her contact information.
Contact Them
Contact the office of your representative. For a local issue, call your town hall or county commissioner’s office. State legislators will be at the state capital when the legislation is in session. Senators and congressmen will be in Washington D.C. during legislative session. But they are all back in their districts when the legislation is on holiday. Determine the representative’s schedule and how you can fit in a meeting. To find out who your federal legislators are, see resources.
The "Ask"
Prepare your “ask.” Professional lobbyists advise that it is best to have a maximum of three things you want to ask. If you have more than one ask, list them in order of priority for you. Under each item, write out your points succinctly and objectively; save the subjective material for your actual meeting. Research any areas of your issue with which you may be unfamiliar. Also, know what you want to ask. You may be asking your representative to co-sponsor a house bill moving through committee; or for a proposal to budget a specific item in your community, such as a park or playground. Whatever it is, be sure you ask for it without hesitation. Having written points helps you keep your focus so you don't allow the representative to go off point.
The Aid
Agree to meet with the representative’s aid, if necessary. There is a staff member assigned to each area of legislative issues. For example, the representative has a staff member for environmental issues, one for medical issues, one for criminal law; in other words, there is a staff member whose job it is is to know these areas well. It is quite possible that you will have to meet with an aid. If this happens, do not be disappointed. In most cases, meeting with the aid is better than meeting with the representative because she will have more time to sit down with you, is knowledgeable about your issue and will deliver your message to the representative for you.
Leave Your Number
Upon meeting with the representative, be sure to leave your contact information with her and offer to be a resource in your community. For example, if you are meeting over a proposed ordinance to widen the barrier between school zones and where a sex offender can live, offer to research what other communities do and get back to the representative. Thank him for his time and follow up with a thank-you note about a week later.
If you have friends who are constituents and are also passionate about your issue, bring them with you to the meeting.
Prepare
Find out what other communities or states do about your issue so you can bring that information to the attention of the representative. Being able to say "this has already passed in four states" is a bonus. Do not allow the representative to get off the subject. Many times a politician will tell stories or jokes to move away from an uncomfortable subject. You will leave realizing that you didn't get a "yes" or "no" answer, just a lot of stories.
Michelle Rivera - Michelle A. Rivera is the author of several books including HOSPICE HOUNDS, Animals and Healing at the Borders of Death; CANINES IN THE ...
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