Dear Senator ...
I have a story that should run Monday regarding how to get in contact with the legislators who represent you in Raleigh in Washington. In summary, the legislators and folks who help them handle their mail say:
- Keep it short. If you're writing more than a page, you may be writing too much.
- Get to the point. A line summarizing the opinion you're trying to pass on or the help you're looking for will help your legislator respond.
- Do ask for help. Whether they are federal or state representatives, a big part of their jobs is helping constituents navigate whatever bureaucracy they may be having problems with.
- Want a response? Include your address and phone number, even if you're writing e-mail.
- Yes, include a phone number. Many state legislators and some of the feds would rather pick up the phone than type send a type-written reply.
- The feds get snail-mail extra crispy. Due to security procedures, mail to U.S. Senators and Reps is inspected 7 ways from Sunday and irradiated. Which means it takes a long time to get there and often damaged. For federal reps it's often more efficient to send e-mail or a fax.
Now, if you're not sure who represents you in either capital, this link will be useful. The zip-code function (third option) takes a little patience, but I've tried it on a couple of my former addresses and appears to work really well.
The feds
You will notice that some federal representatives (in this case, Dole and Burr) don't publish a direct e-mail address. Instead, they offer a web page where you can type your message and send it on. You can find snail-mail, phone and fax numbers on these pages as well.
They person you want to write not on the list? Find other U.S. Senate pages here and U.S. representative pages here.
The state
Rather than give you a bunch of links, just know that you can find a link to your state House member here and your state senator here.
Comments (3)
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It is impossible to reach Senator Elizabeth Dole. After all these years in office she has never had a Public Meeting or Town Hall Meeting with the people of NC. Her staff answers letters and they do not even know the difference in federal agencies. Dole does not live in NC, and visits rarely. Her primary residence is DC, but you cannot even leave a message with her DC office after hours for/against legislation because the phones shut down at 5pm. So when the Senate is working on legislation it is even more impossible to even leave a message for Dole. Senator Dole should conduct Town Hall Open Meetings across the state -- she has ignored the people long enough. She also needs an answering machine for phone messages at ALL her offices.
Gail Dunham
Posted on February 13, 2006 1:38 PM
Coble's great to get in touch with and I've had him to return my call. I was shocked and elated at the same time.
Easy to get in touch with Burr's office though his canned letter replies show a disconnect with the original inquiry.
Dole and former Senator Edwards have a lot in common, no where to be found unless it's in DC.
Posted on February 15, 2006 12:08 PM
Elizabeth Dole won her office because of name recognitions but she has no interest at all in North Carolina. I do hope the people don't elect her again. I sent her and Burr and Coble an e-mail yesterday on this story but expect nothing from them.
Story; "In what has to qualify as probably one of the worst decisions of the decade, a committee chaired by Treasury Secretary John Snow has approved a deal that would allow a firm based in the United Arab Emirates to run some of our most significant ports. These ports would include Baltimore, New Orleans, Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey and Miami.” Get more details on Joe Guarino's blog.
Posted on February 19, 2006 10:18 AM