“Lobbyists are great people to talk to – but I listen to my constituents.” Anonymous Legislator at the Maine State House.

It’s true – the voices that matter the most in any policy debate are the voices of the folks back home. They’re the ones that elected officials represent, and the ones that policymakers remain accountable to long after the lobbyists, bureaucrats and editorial writers have gone home.

This page is a simple “how-to” guide to make your voice heard.

Does it matter? Well, ask any legislator how many contacts from back home it takes to get their attention. Given that they hear nothing from you on almost all of the 2500 bills they look at every 2 years, you’ll learn that just a few contacts can have a huge impact on their thinking on an issue. And even when big issues like health care, taxes, spending and growth are on the table, many voices from back home make a big difference.

So how do you make a difference? Follow these steps, and you’ll be speaking out in no time at all!

One – What’s on your mind? Begin with some information. Maybe a news article, or something you found on our website (Please see our Policy Updates, Comment and Opinion and Bills Worth Watching sections) caught your attention, and you’d like to have a say.

Two – Take a quick look for more information. No need to launch a research project, but maybe reading a bill will help you make an informed statement. With an LD (Legislative Document) number – which you can get from our Bills Worth Watching list, or from the news, or by calling us – you can go here and read the bill by entering the LD number and then following the tabs to “Bill Text.”

Three - The next step is to know what you want to say. Seems simple, but sometimes folks get sidetracked by this one before they start. So now that you know about the issue, think a bit about what the issue means to you. Remember, effective communications with lawmakers involves specific information about how an issue affects you. A bit of rhetoric or theory is fine, but too much ruins your message.

And always remember to ask for an outcome, and request that the person you’re contacting get back to you with a report on how they acted. For example: ”Sen. Smith, please vote in favor of LD 999, and please let me know how you voted after the issue is resolved.” This last bit is very important – it lets your lawmaker know that you’ll remain interested in the issue long after the shouting is over.

Fourth – Who do I want to talk to? This is important. Generally, you want to communicate to everyone who will be involved in the issue. For state house issues, at a minimum, communicate with your state Representative and Senator. Don’t know who they are? No problem – click here and enter your ZIP code, and you’ll have all their contact info.

You may want to talk to all members of a legislative committee – click here to see a list of committees and their members, complete with email links. Or  click here for the number to call the committee clerk and leave a phone message at the committe. There's even a spreadsheet to make emailing a whole Committee easier that ever.

City Councils are just the same. Click the following links for municipal council contact information. Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland, Falmouth, Portland, Scarborough, South Portland, Westbrook.

Want to contact the Governor? Click here for contact info.

How about your Congressional delegation for federal issues? No problem, just click here and enter your zip code for contact information for the House of Representatives and here and use the drop-down box for contact information for the Senate.

Fifth – I know what I want to say, and who I want to contact – but what’s the best way to get in touch? Well, email is a good tool, but we all get tons of it, and it’s worse for decision-makers. During busy times, email may just get ignored, despite the best efforts of elected officials. The best ways to make contact are by phone (even if you leave a short message and ask for a call-back) and by personal visit. Visits are hard to co-ordinate, but they are the very best way to communicate. Don’t be afraid to call and ask for time to get together – remember, lawmakers almost always spend weekends back home.

Sixth – If I decide to write, are there secret rules about salutations and so forth? Short answer – no. Be concise, respectful and clear about the issue’s impact on you, your business, your family and your community. “Dear Senator/Representative/Councilor Smith” is a fine way to address folks. If you know them personally, use their first name. And remember, email and snail mail addresses are all available from the links above in step 4.

Seventh – Follow up! Don’t be surprised or upset if your first attempt to communicate goes unacknowledged. Follow up! Send another email, call or write again. Switch communication modes – some folks are better at returning calls than they are at reading email – or vice versa. Keep at them until you have a response, and hopefully a positive dialogue about the thing that got your attention in the first place.

Finally – Need help? That’s what we’re here for! If you have a question about anything above, if you need more information about an issue or its status at the moment, or if you’re just curious about how grassroots efforts can re-shape legislative behavior, give me a call at 207-772-2811 x231 and I’ll be happy to help out.