Lobbying by Phone

• Be prepared! Find out who your State Representative or Senator is, and the number to his/her office. If you do not know or are unsure, call the Citizen Information Line at 1-800-392-6090 . You can also look on line to find out who your legislators are at www.wheredoivotema.com/search_form.php.
  
• Make a script and prepare for what you are going to say. Give your message clearly and concisely in one or two sentences. If you are lobbying by phone you should have a script ready beforehand.
  
• Call the Legislator’s office. Give your name and mention that you are a constituent of the Legislator.
  
• The Aides often influence which decisions the Legislator makes. If you have a chance to talk with the aide who covers the budget, try to engage him/her in a longer discussion. Ask questions like: "Do you know the Representative’s /Senator's position on ….? Does s/he need more information?" Be sure to find out when you might learn the Representative’s/ Senator's response. Ask "Can I call you next week to learn what the Representative/ Senator thinks?"'
  
• Obtain the most effect. Lobbying by phone is most effective when done in conjunction with a legislative event. You can phone in your support while your cohorts are at the State House, preferably as other people are calling in as well. If the Representative /Senator sees people supporting an issue, and his/her office is receiving call after call supporting the issue as well, that may influence the Legislator's support.
  
• Organize some support. Because telephoning takes little time, you may be able to organize a number of people into a telephone tree. A telephone tree or telephone chain is a pre-arranged, pyramid-like system for contacting a group of people by telephone. If you decide to go this route, generally aim to give callers three numbers each, so that their participation in the telephone tree will not become burdensome. Remember -- a telephone tree is only as strong as its weakest branch!