Communication With Policymakers

Political involvement is nothing more than building relationships, so your first and most important job is establishing communication with candidates and officeholders. The ultimate goal of grassroots lobbying is to influence public officials to support your agenda, so the need for relationships with those already in office is evident.

It is equally important to communicate with candidates so you can learn their positions on issues. The campaign is often the easiest time to start relationships with potential officeholders because they are seeking guidance and input on positions they can demonstrate to the public. Once elected, officeholders will remember you helped them in their campaigns, and that will place you closer to the top of the political influence pyramid.

When is the best time to communicate with officeholders?

All year, every year! During the campaign season, the legislative session and the interim, all LAN members and others interested in becoming politically active should write, call and set up appointments with candidates and officeholders to discuss important issues. Any time is the appropriate time to communicate, but you can find information on the best times in Understanding and Getting Involved in the Legislative Session and Understanding and Getting Involved in the Interim.

How should we communicate?

Whether you’re meeting face to face with candidates and officeholders or communicating via letters or phone calls, follow these tips for success.

• Identify yourself. Introduce yourself as a constituent and/or ATPE member. Informing officeholders that you are an educator tells them you are an education expert with unique and invaluable insight.
• Know your facts. If you don’t feel confident discussing a particular issue, do some research. The Internet and ATPE Governmental Relations are great resources.
• Localize your information. Put a local spin on any issues discussed to let your legislator know how they are going to affect the constituents in his district.
• Get to the point and state your position. Officeholders’ time is just as valuable as yours.
• Get to know legislators’ staff. Legislative aides and other staff members are great resources for information and can also help influence legislators. It is essential to try to establish a good relationship with legislative staff; they are often the only link to the legislator, especially at the end of session. A good relationship with staff can ensure your opinion gets passed on to the legislator in a timely manner.
• Be respectful!

Meeting face to face

Meeting with legislators and candidates one on one is important for two reasons: You get the opportunity to begin a relationship and you get the chance to inform them about issues that are important to you. ATPE recommends meeting with candidates during the campaign season and with your legislator at least twice per year, once in the fall and once in the spring. Legislators spend most of their time in their districts while not in session, so you can often meet with your legislator in his district office during that time.

When setting up a meeting, follow these steps:

Before the meeting

• Call ahead. Scheduling the meeting at least two weeks in advance is a good idea.
• If the officeholder is unavailable, schedule a meeting with the staff person who handles education issues. Staff members are usually very knowledgeable and are great contacts.
• Prepare for the meeting. Think through or write down the points you want to make and develop an agenda. Although friendly conversation should be part of your meeting, the focus should be on issues. After all, officeholders agree to meet with you to learn about your concerns.

During the meeting 

• Try not to take more than two people with you. It can be overwhelming for the officeholder. Occasionally, however, legislators will ask to meet with groups of ATPE members from their districts, especially during ATPE’s Lobby Day. Accommodate this request because they are very busy on this day, and it is difficult for them to meet individually with everyone.
• Focus on a maximum of three issues per meeting. 
• Be concise and well organized. Do not monopolize the conversation; rather, lay out your issues early to allow time to get the officeholder’s thoughts on your issues.
• Don’t guess. If you are asked a question to which you do not know the answer, simply inform the officeholder that you will find the answer and get back to him.
• Leave a one-page summary of your key points and your contact information.

After the meeting

• Always send a thank-you letter. In it, briefly restate the points discussed during the meeting and include any additional information you promised to send.
• Call or send a note or e-mail to ATPE’s Governmental Relations staff. Let us know how your meeting went so we can follow up in Austin.

Writing letters

(sample letter in PDF format)

Besides a face-to-face meeting, a letter written on stationery and sent via U.S. mail is the most effective means of communicating with legislators. Many people falsely believe that in this age of e-mail, faxes and Web sites, traditional letters are outdated. However, research shows that letters influence officeholders more than other forms of communication because legislators know how easy it is to send an e-mail or fax. They feel that someone who takes the time to write a letter is showing true commitment to the issue.

Officeholders frequently ignore or even delete e-mail messages without reading them because they have no way of knowing if the e-mail actually came from a constituent. Faxes are often counterproductive because it annoys officeholders when their fax machines, which they need to conduct business, are jammed with incoming faxes from the public, especially faxes from non-constituents.

So get your pen and paper and follow this advice: 

• Send a personal letter rather than a form letter. Handwritten (if it is legible) is best, but typed letters are fine.
• Try to limit your letter to one page. Never write more than two pages.
• Be polite and persuasive. Name-calling, threats and sarcasm hurt your case.
• Ask someone to proofread your letter. Nothing looks worse than a letter from an educator that has grammatical mistakes, and computers’ spellchecker functions are not reliable.

Making phone calls

There are some points in the legislative session when there simply isn’t enough time to schedule a meeting or send a letter. For example, LAN action alerts frequently require action within 24 to 48 hours. During these times, phone calls are the most effective means of communication as ringing phones cannot be ignored the way e-mails or faxes can.

When making phone calls to legislators, follow these guidelines:

• Familiarize yourself with the issues beforehand.
• Identify yourself as a constituent and/or ATPE member.
• Be prepared to give your address, if requested.
• Note the bill number and committee, if possible, and state your position on the issue.
• Tell your legislator what you would like them to do (vote for or against or amend a bill). 
• Ask for the legislator’s position on the bill or issue.

Sending thank-you notes

Always acknowledge legislators’ actions. Thank them for actions they take that you like and politely express your disappointment for actions you dislike. Letting them know that you consistently monitor their actions pressures them to act according to their constituents’ wishes. 

How do I address officeholders? 

Whether you’re meeting face to face, writing a letter or calling an officeholder, use the appropriate salutations to show your respect. Refer to the chart below when communicating with officeholders.

Where to write elected officials 

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