Your legislators need to hear from you. As a constituent, your views carry a lot of weight with your elected official. After all, your legislator was elected to represent you and depends upon your vote to remain in office.

Additionally, as a constituent you play an important role in keeping your legislator in touch with the issues that are important to you and your community.

You can get active today by writing or calling. Here are some helpful tips. 

Writing Your Legislator

Writing a letter is one of the most popular and important ways to reach your legislator. Many legislators look at the volume of mail they receive on a given issue to help them determine what action to take. By sending a letter, and encouraging your family and friends to write as well, you can make sure your opinions are being considered.

• Use a business format for the letter with your contact information and current date. It's important to include your full address.

• Introduce yourself in the first paragraph. Identify yourself as a constituent and tell them a little bit about you (local business owner, employee at locally owned company, etc.).

• State what specific issue or concern you're writing about and what action you want the elected official to take.

• Stick to one main issue in your letter. If possible, your letter should not be more than one page.

• Don't be afraid to share a personal story. If you have experienced the effects of lawsuit abuse firsthand, tell them. It helps make your issue and request stand out and makes it easier for the elected official to understand and address your concerns.

• Be courteous and thank your elected official for his or her time.

• Ask for a response.

Calling Your Legislator

When time is short, calling your legislator is a simple and effective way of making sure your concerns are heard. A quick call that gets right to the point in a courteous manner is an easy and good strategy for weighing-in on issues that matter to you.

• Identify yourself as a constituent. Constituent phone calls carry the most weight with legislators.

• Don't expect to talk to the legislator directly. Most calls are routed to the staff person responsible for a particular issue.

• State the reasons you are calling and the action you want your legislator to take. Keep it simple. Give a brief description of the bill and bill number if possible. You may find it helpful to have a couple of talking points in front of you to help you stay focused and make sure you don't forget anything.

• Be concise. Keep your call focused on one issue with two or three key points supporting the issue. The call should be brief - usually only a couple of minutes.

• Always be courteous! Never threaten or use abusive language.

• Request follow-up. Leave your name and contact information with the staff person in case they have any questions or wish to follow-up with you later. Ask to receive a letter acknowledging your call and informing you of your legislator's action/position on the issue.