I hear lots of people saying that if I want to make a difference I need to call my representative but what can I say that will actually make them listen?Is there anything I can say that will make a difference? And who exactly do I call?
The First Dragon
Every person in the USA has 2 Senators and one Representative to the House in Congress.
Each state has 2 Senators, and all the people of the state share them. You can write to them.
Each state then is divided into House of Representatives districts. You need to look up by your address to find out which District you live in, and who your Representative is. You can write to him or her.
You can write by mail or by email; or you can call by telephone. If you call, you won't talk to your representative but you can leave a message. A conscientious representative will reply to you, if only with a form letter.
You write or call your Federal representatives about matters of national policy.
If you want to talk about state or local matters, you need to find out who represents you to you state legislature, county council, or city council.
The most effective thing is usually when they are considering the budget or laws, and you tell them what you think about these issues.
At the state level, you can go to the state Capitol when the Legislature is in session. You may be able to find your state legislators in their offices. Or you can go when they are actually in session, hearing arguments and whatever. You can send a message in to the legislator who is inside. If they can - if they are not in the middle of a vote or something - they will come out to see you, because you are a voter.
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You can look up the information on your state and federal representatives. When you call their office, you usually get a voice mail message. Most people call to say, "Vote no on X" or "Vote yes on Y" Or they might state a short reason. You are not going to be talking to the representative. At best, you'll get someone who answers the phone and will make a note of your sentiment.
There are also ways to text. I think there's a way to text "Resist" and get a standard message sent to your Senators and congressional representatives. That's usually for objecting to the Trump agenda.
If you go on Facebook and look up either your local Democratic or Republican party groups, they will often post messages about how to call and text government officials.