By: Anna Brown, Citizens Count
Is it your goal to be a more informed and engaged citizen in 2023? Citizens Count’s Weekly Democracy Toolkit gives you everything you need to get started. These simple, step-by-step guides help you answer questions like “how do I participate in a public hearing?” and “how do I find bills I am interested in?”
Elected representatives and government officials are there to serve us, the people. Most of them are happy to receive feedback and requests from their constituents—it helps them do their job. If you try to reach out and an individual is unresponsive or not receptive to you, keep that in mind the next time you cast your vote.
1. Identify which office is responsible for the issue you are interested in
Officials at the state and national level address different issues.
If you are concerned about a bill or issue that is being debated in Washington, D.C., you will want to contact the U.S. President, U.S. Senators, or U.S. Representatives. For example, if you are interested in sanctions on Russia, you will want to contact those federal officials.
If you are concerned about a New Hampshire bill or issue, you will want to contact the Governor, New Hampshire Senators, or New Hampshire Representatives. For example, if you are interested in changes to the school funding system, you would contact those state officials.
An earlier column in this series provided information on how to find bill numbers you are interested in. If you want to browse bills by topic, try visiting citizenscount.org/bills.
2. Identify your elected official(s) in that office
The New Hampshire Governor, our two U.S. Senators, and the U.S. President represent every person in New Hampshire. However, U.S. Representatives, New Hampshire Senators, and New Hampshire Representatives represent people in specific towns, cities, and wards.
Visit citizenscount.org/elected-officials and select your town or city from the dropdown menu to see the list of elected officials who represent you.
If you live in a city you may live in a ward that has specific representatives based on neighborhoods. If you are not sure which ward you live in, click the link just below the dropdown menu to find where you live on a map.
3. Find your elected official’s contact information
After selecting your town, city, or ward from the Citizens Count Elected Officials page, you will see a list of your officials with pictures and names. Click on the official you want to contact. This will take you to a page with information about the official’s current time in office, including any official email address and website next to their photo.
If you are looking for additional contact information, such as a snail-mail address, click “Back to Overview” underneath the person’s photo. This overview page will show any additional contact information in the Citizens Count database, from Twitter and Facebook pages to a home address.
4. Write out your message or script
Whether you are sending an email or making a phone call, it helps to write out what you want to say.
Make sure to include your name, town, and contact information if you would like a response.
Use a professional tone but don’t be afraid to share personal stories. Individual stories are often more persuasive than statistics.
Officials get many messages, so a short message may be more likely to get a response.
Here is a possible script that you can use when calling an elected representative about a bill or issue you care about:
Hello, my name is ____ and I’m a resident of ____. I’m reaching out to urge you to support/defeat (name the issue or bill). (Reason why you think it should be either passed or defeated). Thank you for taking the time to listen to my concerns. (Share any of your contact information to receive a response.)
If you send an email, use a clear subject line, such as “Please support [bill number].”
5. Contact your official!
Here are some final tips for contacting your elected representatives:
The best time to call most legislators is either late morning or early afternoon.
Elected officials may have a staff person who answers the phone. They are prepared to take your message.
Do not get into an argument. Your goal is to persuade the elected official, not make them your enemy. If you disagree say so, but stay polite.
There are other ways to share your opinion with elected officials, such as attending a public hearing or writing a letter to the editor. Keep an eye out for more of these columns or visit citizenscount.org/how-to to learn more.
Citizens Count is a nonprofit serving the New Hampshire community by providing objective information about issues, elected officials, bills, elections, and candidates. These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.