How To Call Congress
Are you passionate about an issue but can’t get Congress to pay attention? Have you written Congress, called, or emailed to no avail? Did you call Congress but wonder if your efforts were a waste of time?
If you answered yes, read below on how to make sure your phone call to Congress stands out from the crowd.
Should you call Congress?
Yes, making phone calls is one of the easiest ways to contact your members of Congress. It only takes a couple of minutes to do, and if you call during business hours, you are almost certain to get an actual person to answer your call.
But just because phone calls are easy to make does not make them the most effective way to contact Congress.
While you are able to speak directly to a person and make your case about your issue, the person on the other end is usually an intern or a junior-level staffer.
Interns and junior-level staffers typically have very little influence on policy decisions as they spend most of their time engaging with constituents and learning the ropes.
Another reason why phone calls are not super effective is that Congress gets a lot of them and there is no record except what gets logged into an excel spreadsheet or tracking system. If you have a really powerful personal story, there is no good way for the staffer to pass the story on to somebody else.
How to call Congress the right way
One of the most powerful ways to use phone calls is to strategically plan for a large group of people calling at the same time about the same issue. This shows the member of Congress and their staff that a lot of people in their district care about the issue and they need to take heed to their voters.
Be careful though: phone call campaigns can backfire if not done correctly. For example, if there is a big push to get people to call their members about a certain issue but not many people call, staffers could interpret this to mean that their constituents do not care about the issue.
Whether you are calling as part of a phone campaign or you are just passionate about an issue, here are some strategies to make your phone call stand out:
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Introduce yourself and tell the person on the other end where you live.
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Keep your call focused on your issue and mention the bill number, if there is one.
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Be respectful of the staffer’s time: try to keep your call under 60 seconds.
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Be kind and courteous.
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Stay away from the blame game. It is not the intern or junior staffer’s fault that your issue has not been addressed.
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Write a general outline beforehand so you can stay on topic and convey the point clearly and concisely.
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Have a strong “ask.” Call ahead of important votes or decisions and make sure your ask is specific. You can ask them to vote a certain way, co-sponsor a bill, or make a speech on the House floor.
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Personalize, personalize, personalize, and personalize! Never use prewritten messages. Tell your story and create your own outline.
More Tips for Calling Congress:
1. Show them you are a supporter
If you support their boss through volunteering or simply voting for them, let them know why you support the member of Congress. People are more open to helping out if they view you as a partner and not an adversary. Be careful how you bring this up, however, as you don’t want to be seen as asking for a favor in return for your support. Also, never bring up donations you have made... it is a big faux pas for Congressional staffers.
2. Start to build a relationship
Think of the phone call as the first step in building a relationship. Ask the staffer about their job and if they like working for their member. Ask if they are from the district and try to relate to them somehow. Building a relationship with a staffer is key to getting your voice heard. Do not be discouraged if the person on the other line is an intern. With high turnover, that individual could be a legislative director in no time.
3. Timing is everything
The most obvious time to conduct a phone campaign is when there is an upcoming vote on the issue. Phone campaigns can also be effective if a member of Congress recently had a meeting on the issue or is close to considering a position on the issue.