Calling Congress: it's not as scary as you think!

Like everyone else, I was so sad to see the news of another mass school shooting yesterday.  And I quickly fell into the trap of cynicism:  there will be uproar for a few days, no real changes will be made, it will happen again.  But you know what?  That's how people always feel until change DOES happen.  This is not the time to throw our hands up in the air, this is the time to speak up!  So I'm writing a blog with some thoughts on calling your Congressperson.

I've talked to a few people who feel passionately about a political issue but are intimidated to call their Congressional representative.  I interned at a U.S. Senator's office for one summer, and while I was the low low low person on the totem pole, it did help me see some things about how this all works.

There are several ways to contact your Congressperson -- email, letter, and phone.  (Also visiting, if you happen to live close to one of their district offices.)  All of these are easy to find through Google.
The phone call is the best combination of effectiveness and efficiency for making your voice heard.  We are a culture that's shying away from phone calls and I get this - I rarely make phone calls when you can instead communicate by text or email.  But Congresspersons take phone calls from constituents more seriously than an email petition that people signed with one click.  (Not that this is a bad thing to do -- all the communications help.)  Phone calls on issues are tallied, and the tally is given to the Senator.  With emails, it is a lot more variable. 

Here is what usually happens when you call a Congressional office:  the person answering takes your name and address.  This tells them if you are a constituent and sometimes facilitates a response letter.  Then they will ask why you are calling, you tell them, and they thank you for your call.  The whole thing takes less than a minute, unless you choose to try to keep them on the phone longer. 

Here are some things that will not happen:

• They will not be rude to you - even if they vehemently disagree with you, they know that their job depends on pleasing constituents.  They may not be able to vote the way you're hoping, but they will be nice about it.  
• They will not try to engage you in a policy debate - they have access to the leading policy experts on both sides of the issue, so they don't need to engage constituents on policy matters, either for sport or for information.  They do need to know which way public opinion is leaning.  
• They will not keep you on the phone for an extensive amount of time - they will respect your time, and they need to get the phone lines open for the next caller.
• The Congressperson won't answer - it will be a staffer or intern on the line.

It is perfectly fine if you write down exactly what you want to say on a piece of paper and read it verbatim.  If you have a personal story related to the issue and can succinctly communicate it, that is helpful.  You can call with a very specific request ("I want the Senator to vote against LB???") or a very general request ("I would like the Senator to take action to oppose gun violence".)  

I hope this blog doesn't come off as patronizing, but I really want everyone to feel empowered that you CAN call your Congressperson and they DO want to hear from you (because being in touch with constituent opinion helps them keep their job!).  Now I'm going to make a few phone calls :).