Legislative Advocacy

In theory, each of the U.S. Senators and Representatives is responsible to all of the citizens of the United States, but in practice they are much more responsive to personal appeals from their own constituents. The three ways to influence your legislators by personal contact are: a letter (good), a telephone call (better), and a face-to-face meeting (best).

What do I say to my legislators? Your first step is to educate yourself. Check the various sections on the home page. Then consult the ACLU's "How to Lobby" web site.
See Kevin Lindemann's Talking Points for the meeting with Rep. Hastert's staff member for a good example.
The Illinois U.S. Senators are Richard J. Durbin (D, Springfield) and Peter G. Fitzgerald (R, Inverness).
Who is my representative and how do I contact him/her? The number of our House district is printed on that little card that we received in the mail from the Election Commission that most of us have tucked away somewhere. It has not been made easy for us either since congressional districts cut across county, township, and municipal boundries. Fortunately the web has come to our rescue and the best way to find out this vital information is to access the ACLU, the Amnesty International or the State of Illinois web sites and enter your complete address (or 9 digit ZIP+4 code). Click on the legislator's name to get the contact information (address and telephone number for both district and capitol offices).
Have a personal meeting with your legislator. There are three documents that contain valuable information on planning, having, and following up on a personal meeting with your Senator or Representative. They are all similar but with slight differences. Pick the one you like best and print it out and bring it with you to review just prior to your visit with your legislator.

"Tips on Meeting..." is produced by the ACLU.
"Contacting your legislator" covers both personal visits and telephone calls.
"Working With legislators" was written by a professional lobbyiest and is focused on the personal meeting.

Telephone your legislator.Your legislator will most likely be in Washington when Congress is in session and in the district office at other times. Unless you have already established a relationship, you are unlikely to speak to him or her personally even if you call right office.

Ask to speak to your legislator or to the member of the staff who covers defense, the military or terrorism.
Hi, this is ---(your name)---, and I want to know Representative/Senator ______'s position on the our current actions in Afghanistan. Is Representative/Senator __________in favor of the continuing assault that is taking so many innocent lives?
It is important to me that Representative/Senator ___________ take a strong stance on favor of ending the indescriminate military assault and employing anti-crime tools to apprehend and punish the criminals responsible for the events of 9/11.
Please send me a written response with the member's position to these crucial questions. We are counting on the strong support of every Legislator. As a constituent, I will be watching this vote closely.

Send a letter to your legislator."Tips on Writing..." is another ACLU document. These tips will help increase the effectiveness of your letter.
"Leave behind" or "mail in" materials. It is a good idea to create a single sheet to summarize and remind your legislators of your main points. It would be even better if you could personalize the material to address the principal concerns (civilian casualties, cost, erosion of civil liberties...) of the legislator.