turning on the power: face-to-face with your legislator

TURNING ON THE POWER:

FACE-TO-FACE WITH YOUR LEGISLATOR

Based on “The One-Hour Activist”

by Christopher Kush

Powerful Actions

Letter Telephone Email

Super powerful actions

Meeting in person with your elected officials is the single most powerful grassroots action you can take to fight for the issues you care about.

You are the super power

Your life, your professional expertise and your local experience provide you with almost everything you need to know to fight for the issues you care about – no matter what specific request you make.

Five conversation your legislators want to have

What the local statistics are Real-life stories that illuminate the

statistics The specific legislative action that would

make you happy. How state money is being spent in the

district. Your visibility and connections within the

district.

Stay on Message

Delivering different messages confuses your issue.

Grassroots action works if you convince a large group of legislators to do the same thing.

It’s not fair to your colleagues to deliver a message not agreed upon.

Unsympathetic legislators will try to sidetrack you.

What does an off-message conversation sound like?

Discussion of the day’s headlines. Discussion about elections or partisan

politics. Discussion of aspects of your issue not

under the jurisdiction of the legislator like talking national policy with state lawmakers or vice versa.

How to keep from going off message

Don’t participate if you don’t agree with the message.

Have a pre-meeting to review talking points and agree on remarks.

Acknowledge interesting topics and then get back to your message. “That's an interesting topic but we’re here to talk about….”

Common pitfalls to avoid in face-to-face meetings

Don’t go off message. Don’t be late or fail to show-up. Don’t dress down. Don’t let them make you too comfortable. Don’t engage in excessive praise or scorn. Don’t lie or bluff. Don’t argue if they give you a “yes.” Don’t discount a meeting with staff. Don’t address unrelated issues. Don’t forget to follow-up.

Hook, line and sinker

Hook – Who you are. Line – A Strong argument or

personal story. Sinker –Your request for an action.

The Thank-you note

Remember to request a business card from every person you meet in a legislative office.

Send a thank-you letter or email. Reinforce your message.