Get your voice heard in Washington

WASHINGTON—At a time in the U.S. political calendar when most people are focused on affecting change in Washington by lining up at the ballot box, few realize how much impact they can have simply by contacting their member of Congress.

“Don’t miss an opportunity to engage directly and help us improve,” said Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M. “Because shared experiences from our constituents are the very things that help us generate a different process or a different system that makes sense.”

I spent a day walking the halls of Congress, speaking with House members and their staffs to figure out the most effective way for constituents to communicate with their representatives. Here are some key findings.

For anything that has to do with public policy or specific legislation, citizens should call their representatives’ Washington, D.C., offices. The House of Representatives is not in session year-round: Members are on recess for the entire month of August and take weeks off periodically for district work. But even if your representative is not on Capitol Hill (outside of government holidays) his or her staff is there and will answer calls and emails.

To be most effective, contact House members early in the calendar year, when Congress is setting its agenda. In odd-numbered years, newly elected representatives often are more eager to hear constituent opinions.

Most representatives prefer to meet with their constituents in person, but for those who cannot make the trip, calling is the most efficient way to tell them what’s on your mind.

“Frankly, I don’t want to say phone calls, but phone calls,” said Trevor Jones, a staff assistant for Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., when asked how constituents should inquire about policy. “If everyone calls, I won’t be able to get any work done, but it’s the easiest way for us.”

Jones said petitions are the worst way for citizens to influence their representative because they create tedious stacks of paper staffers must manually log and record. Often petitions advocate for an organization their office already supports.

“We might agree with them on a cause and we’re glad to hear from them, but having tons of paper with information on it we then have to sift through—it’s very tedious,” said Jennifer Pett, a communications assistant for Huelskamp. “Emailing or direct contact via phone is easier for the office to field and log.”

Pett and Jones give Huelskamp a daily report detailing top constituent issues. When hot-button topics are in the news, such as last year’s speaker race, the congressman will ask his staff what constituents are saying.

While Congress is in session, House members spend most of their day speaking with other politicians about bills or giving statements to the media about various news topics. Each member uses the messages from constituents as anecdotal evidence for a particular position.

“So if we get an interview request about Guantanamo Bay, for example, the congressman will

say I’ve been getting calls about this and they don’t want it shut down,” Pett said. “They do make a difference in shaping the congressman’s stance.”

Eric Harris, communications director for Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., said his office fields requests through all the traditional modes of communication—emails, phone calls, and letters—but they are placing greater emphasis on social media.

“I have been in politics for a little while now, and one of the things I have seen is the evolution of e-advocacy and how effective it is,” Harris said. “Having a collective voice on something online is a great way to get one’s message across.”

Harris said he or someone else on the communications staff reads every tweet and Facebook message directed toward his boss. In the past, constituents had to rely on op-eds or letters-to-the-editor in their local newspaper to voice their concerns in a public way, but that’s no longer the case.

“If someone has an issue, if someone has a grievance that they feel needs more light shed upon it, social media is a fantastic vehicle to help spread that awareness,” Harris said.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., receives calls from all over the country because of her position as the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. Her press secretary, Geoff Burgan, said for major votes and legislation, the office keeps tallies of constituent opinions—no matter where they are from.

“We had a woman call the other day from the state of Maine—not our constituent, she’s from the other end of the country,” Burgan said. “But anyone who takes the time to pick up the phone and call a congressional office is clearly engaged at some level. We appreciate those calls.”

For Huelskamp, who represents 63 Kansas counties, face-to-face interaction is the most valuable of all communication. He holds town halls in every county each year.

“We hold more town halls than anyone,” Pett said. “It makes a real difference to the congressman to put a face to a name.”