Calling is a quick and effective way to contact a legislator. Social workers have vital communication skills that can be particularly effective when advocating for policy change to representatives. As social workers, we also have a unique perspective gained from our professional experience working with those directly impacted by oppressive structures in our society and the commitment to enhancing the wellbeing of others. This perspective is extremely valuable to share when trying to influence a legislator on a certain issue as it can provide informed reasoning and express importance behind why they should take certain action that they otherwise do not know.
If you have not called a legislator before and feel like you may need some help doing so, no need to worry- we have collected tips to help guide you through the process! We have also created a printable flyer that you can locate HERE, so you can have this as a quick reference whenever you need it.
Tip #1: Prepare
Before you call, be prepared with knowing the relevant information or facts about the bill, policy, or issue you were planning to speak about. Make sure you know the exact name of the bill or policy that you want the legislator to support or oppose as well as when they may be voting on it in the future. This will allow you to be very specific when you ask the legislator for action. Also be prepared with some facts or data on the topic you are calling about to help give your position credibility. It’s easy to disagree with someone’s opinion, but more difficult to ignore the facts when they are given.
If you are nervous or anxious about calling, you can prepare a script to help guide you through the call as well. You can access some phone script and templates HERE.
Tip #2: Call who represents you.
It’s best to call the legislators that represent the district in which you reside. Legislators care about the opinions of their constituents because they want their votes when it’s time for an election. The legislators are more likely to vote in favor of bills and policies that reflect the opinion of the voters in their district, so calling who represents you will help them understand the opinions of their constituents and impact the actions they make. You can use our legislator search tool found HERE to find the contact information of the legislator for your district.
Tip #3: Identify Yourself
By identifying that you are a legislator’s constituent, it helps make the connection from the beginning of the call, making it more likely for them to listen to and care about your opinion. Make sure you state your name, the city and state that you live (or address if it is a more local representative). You can also identify yourself as a social worker. This can help bring more credibility since you can be understood as an expert on the issue you are calling about.
Tip #4: Identify the legislator you wish to speak to
When you call a legislator’s office, it is likely that you will reach a secretary, staff member, or a voicemail. It is important that you identify exactly who you are calling about to facilitate the message reaching them, especially if it must be relayed by another person.
Tip #5: Expect to Leave a Message
Its more likely than not that you will not be able to speak to the legislator you are calling when you make your initial call to their office. It is also possible that you may never hear directly from them at all, especially if you are calling legislators that represents a large area- like a US Senator or Representative. That does not mean they did get your message. When you call, a secretary or staff member might answer and can take your message down. Or, you may be sent to a voicemail box. You can ask for a call back or a response, but this may not happen considering the many messages that are sent to legislators each year. However, your message will still be heard, noted, or recorded by someone and will be used to calculate voter consensus for the legislator.
Tip #6: State Your Purpose State the purpose of your call in the beginning of your call or message. This will help with a secretary to direct you to the exact voicemail or person to leave a message with as well as set the tone for the call. This will also help prepare the person you are speaking to (whether it be the legislator or a staff member) of what to expect from the call.
Tip #7: Personalize it
Use your own words! You can use a script as a guide, but don’t solely rely on reading a script. Support your position with personal or professional anecdotes from working as a social worker. Make it personal since this can be more impactful. You can do this by describing to the legislator how the bill, policy, or issue you are calling about impacts you, your family, friends, or clients. It’s this type of expertise that will help support your position and be more convincing for impacting the opinion of the legislator.
Tip #8: Keep it Concise
Since legislators are extremely busy (and so are social workers!), and receive many phone calls, it is important that you keep your call concise. You do not want to flood your message with too many details, stories, or facts because then the purpose of the call may get lost. Stick to about 2-3 talking points to support your position and focus on the action you want the legislator to make to prevent being unclear. Tip #9: Ask for Action Make sure you state the action you would want the legislator to take If you goal is for the legislator to vote yes/no on a certain upcoming bill, make sure you say that is what you asking them to do. Being specific as possible is key and if speaking about a bill, you should identify bills by their name or number.
Tip #10: Be Polite Even if you disagree with the legislator on their position on certain policies or topics or if you did not vote for them, you want to make sure you are being respectful and polite. If you are disrespectful, inappropriate, or threatening, it is likely that your message will not be heard or taken seriously. Be firm on your stance without being too aggressive. You want to be heard as a credible professional with experience that informs your position to help make an impact, so being respectful is key to portraying yourself as such.
Tools to Help You:
Sources:
American Psychological Association. (n.d.) How to call your member of congress. The Psychologist’s Guide to Advocacy.. https://www.apa.org/advocacy/guide/phone-call
Bergan, D. E. & Cole, R. T. (2015). Call your legislator: A field experimental study of the impact of a constituency mobilization campaign on legislative voting. Political Behavior, 37(1), 27-42.
Butler, D. M. & Nickerson, D.W. (2011). Can learning constituency opinion affect how legislators vote? Results from a field experiment. Quarterly Journal of Political Sciences, 6(1), 55-83.
Dodson, E.A., Geary, N.A., Brownson, R.C. (2015). State legislators’ sources and use of information: bridging the gap between research and policy. Health Education Research, 30(6), 840-848.
Ghoshal, R. (2019). Call your representatives: Connecting classroom learning to real-world policy action. American Sociological Association, 47(1), 51-58.
Hamilton, K. (n.d.) Does calling congress really work? Represent Us. https://act.represent.us/sign/does-calling-congress-really-work
Hertel-Fernandez, A., Mildenberger, M., & Stokes, L. C. (2019) Legislative staff and representation in congress. American Political Science Review, 113(1), 1-18.