How Should I Contact My Representative?

We work with many organizations running advocacy campaigns on a tight budget. They not only want to connect members to their correct elected officials, but they also want to make sure they use an effective method of contact. These organizations often ask us: What’s the best way to contact our elected officials?

We previously surveyed legislators to find out how they prefer to be contacted. As legislatures turn over, we decided it was time for a refresh. The Cicero Team recently attended the National Conference of State Legislatures Summit, where we had access to thousands of state legislators and their staff. They placed a pin on our map to indicate their preferred method of contact — was email, phone, or Facebook more popular?

How do elected officials prefer to be contacted?

Email is the most preferred contact method across the board. It’s quick, to the point, and almost everyone has access to it. Officials stated that email is easiest to document in an increasingly digital world. An email is also easy to delegate to a staffer and keep track of progress.

However, because of the low barrier to entry, email is also often overused and abused. This has led many legislatures (like the US Senate) to stop sharing email addresses with the public and instead use web forms in order to filter out constituent requests. Web forms function similarly, and though they may require a few extra steps, officials requested that advocacy organizations utilize web forms if email addresses are not publicly available.

Do rural legislators communicate differently than urban ones?

We heard from a number of rural legislators this year, and they had a unique perspective. Often the areas they represent are large, dispersed, and less populated. Many rural legislators prefer to be in touch with their constituents however is most accessible to them. Their preferred contact methods were through Facebook, which a previous Cicero analysis confirmed, or through texting.

This was the first time we heard from any legislator that they actually like when constituents text them! But for rural legislators with smaller and more spread out constituencies, it makes sense. Communicating with a constituent through texting:

• Can happen at any hour
• Is quick and to the point
• Is less formal and more personable
• Doesn’t require internet access, which is a larger issue in rural areas

Shout out to the brave electeds who make their personal cell numbers publicly available!

Don’t contact your representatives in these ways

With a laugh and an eye-roll, a number of legislators answered our question with a simple “don’t.” As in, please don’t contact me! We think they were (mostly) joking, however, they shared some key insights about the limited capacity of our elected officials to deal with constituent communication.

When running advocacy campaigns, DON’T:

• Rely on form letters. These letters, while efficient for constituents and advocacy organizations, are impersonal and lack meaning for the elected officials. They just fill up inboxes, annoy officials, and waste everyone’s (limited) time.
• Send faxes. Yes, most elected officials still have fax numbers in 2020. Some organizations have used this outdated method of communication in the past few years to stand apart and capture the attention of officials. This strategy works to a degree — officials certainly take notice of their increased fax traffic. However, they also become annoyed at their increased phone, ink, and paper expenses. If you want your elected official to listen to you, don’t fax them.
• Use all caps or excessive exclamation marks in any communication. If you’re not willing to express your position respectfully, often our elected leaders just won’t listen.

Consider in-person communication

Our favorite answer to the question “How do elected officials prefer to be contacted?” was: In the grocery store! One state legislator mentioned how much he loved getting to talk with constituents face to face, even if it was while out running errands. Meeting constituents where they are and truly listening to what their issues are reminds representatives of why they ran for office in the first place.

Consider this when planning your next capitol hill advocacy day — even if legislators are busy, most of them got into this work to help real people solve real problems. An in-person meeting with a passionate (and respectful) constituent can remind them of that and lead to change.

Now that you know the best methods for communicating, connect with your elected officials today through our free lookup tool, or match your organization’s entire list of members to their representatives.