Keep letters, email, and faxes as brief as possible. Concisely written correspondence is more likely to grab and keep the reader’s attention.
• Identify your issue or opinion at the beginning of the letter; don’t bury your main point.
• Cover only one issue per letter. If you have another issue to address, write another letter.
• Back up your opinions with supporting facts. Your letter should inform the reader, and facts make an argument more tangible and convincing.
• Avoid abbreviations or acronyms, and don’t use technical jargon.
• Don’t send the same letter to more than one legislator. Personalized letters have a greater
impact.
Calling or Visiting Your Legislator
Plan your call or visit ahead of time. When preparing to visit your legislator, make an appointment. Call or write to schedule the meeting as soon as you know when you are going to be at the Capitol. This way you can be sure you will be able to meet with your legislator.
• Keep to the point and discuss only one issue. Organizing your thoughts ahead of time and making notes to help you stay on track can be very helpful.
• Prepare a one-page fact sheet concerning your issue to give to your legislator. This will help him or her better retain what you present.
Use the McLaughlin poll: Legislators are more likely to support bills that have support of more than just zealots. Get out in front on this issue and get known! Point out how this will help the legislator in an upcoming election if he/she gets behind it and will lend his/her voice to the issue. Once everyone is on board, he/she will just seem as if they are jumping on the bandwagon. (There are many state legislators who have been denied a chance to move up
from state politics to The House of Representatives or the Senate. Term Limits will give them that chance—you may or may not want to point this out to them.)
Sample Script:
Hello, my name is ______________________and I’d like to talk to you about supporting Term Limits for Congress. I am a member of the National Federation of Republican Women ,which is the largest grassroots Republican women’s organization in the country. (You can add the name of your
club here) We have tens of thousands of active members in local clubs across the nation. We are concerned about so much in our country today, and so frustrated with our inability to effect change. We believe that with term limits we (The People) can actually make some positive changes. I’m sure,
Mr./MS. Name of legislator that you have changes you would make too, if you were in Congress. We believe in our system, in our Constitution. It just needs one little tweak by limiting the term of our federal legislators though an Article 5 Convention of States. We to not need an entitled Political Class that has its own healthcare system, sets its own salary, and gets a huge lifetime retirement after having served a
minimum of two terms. Look at all those who have been in government service from 30-60 years. (show them or send them the brochure section that shows length of service) That is an entire generation! Time to retire all that have been living off the public dole—although even in retirement we
will still be paying their way. This is not just a Republican idea. Look at the McLaughlin poll of earlier this year. This is an idea that has universal appeal and our clubs are committed to getting it done. Can we count on you introducing a single issue bill in favor of Term Limits calling for an Article
5 Convention of States?