Governing: Communicating with Elected Officials
March 26, 2025
In a fit of frustration Monday, I wrote a letter to the President and posted the text of it to BlueSky, LinkedIn, and Substack. (See my Substack Notes for that message and the attached PDF for other sample communications.) Much to my surprise, I received this message shortly thereafter from a LinkedIn connection: “Hi Sharon, I loved your letter template in your latest post. Is there a way you could write others?”
The following, therefore, is in response to that request.
A. Preliminary Considerations.
First, a few bits of background advice based on my five years as a Congressional Aide.
1. NO FORM LETTERS OR PETITIONS! If you want to communicate effectively with an elected official, write an original message. Do not sign a pre-printed form letter or petition. Those submissions are almost universally ignored.
2. Be Mindful of the Fact that Every Communication is a Public Record! You may be forceful in your convictions – but be polite![1]
3. Avoid Using Acronyms or Professional Jargon Without Explanation. Although elected officials and staff typically have broad subject matter expertise, they can’t know everything. Spell out acronyms, define terms, and identify relevant federal, state or local government agencies to make certain you maximize the value of your message.
4. Choosing Between A Letter, Email or Social Media Post. At times, the legislative/policymaking process may move slower than snails. At other times, it may move with lightning speed. Fortunately we now have multiple communication options if a written letter may not be transmitted/received in timely fashion. As a result, you should be prepared to use the comment forms now common on most elected officials’ websites OR the comment sections on their social media sites in addition to letters or telephone calls to make your views known.[2]
5. Seeking Relief On An Administrative Matter (e.g., Missing Income Tax Refund) Requires Special Handling. You may wish to solicit an elected official’s assistance in your dealings with a government agency (e.g., finding a missing income tax refund). In those cases, I advise that you call the official’s office first to ask about the process that you should follow. Congressional offices, for example, require that a constituent submit a signed release to allow the official/official’s staff to receive personally identifiable information about you. Some officials may prefer that the communication be directed to a specific staff member (e.g., a specialist in a given district office). Expedite consideration of your request by gathering this direction up front.
6. Find the Correct Official, Address, and Title. Make certain that you direct your message to the correct official and that you use the proper address for that communication.
US Senate https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm
US House https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
Governors https://www.nga.org/governors/
State Legislatures https://www.congress.gov/state-legislature-websites
Counties https://explorer.naco.org/?find=true
Cities https://www.usa.gov/local-governments
Be mindful of the fact that titles for these officials may vary from state to state. Members of the lower chamber of the California, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, and Wisconsin are called Assemblymen/Assemblywomen. For the Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia legislatures, the proper title is Delegate.
County governing body members commonly will be either Commissioner, Council Member or Supervisor. The titles assigned to the chief executives of a county will be even more diverse (e.g., County Executive, Mayor or Judge).
7. Address Your Letter Correctly. Although the sample letters on pages 6 and 7 don’t use this style, most often the elected official will be addressed as “The Honorable” on the inside address.
8. Don’t Forget Your Contact Information. Include your email and/or mailing address and telephone number as appropriate.
9. Contacting Officials Who Do Not Represent You. Typically most elected officials will answer/read only messages from their constituents. In the event that you wish to communicate with an elected official (e.g., because he/she is sponsoring legislation of particular interest to you or about which you have special knowledge), I suggest calling that official’s office to ask how best to address your communication.
B. Crafting Your Communication.
If you’re writing the usual letter to an elected official (e.g., about an appropriation or a specific piece of legislation,) the American Civil Liberties Union offers this advice.
1. Keep It Brief Whenever Possible. [As a rule of thumb] letters should be no longer than one page and should be limited to one issue. Legislative aides read many letters on many issues in a day, so your letter should be as concise as possible.[3]
2. State Who You Are and What You Want Up Front. In the first paragraph, tell your legislators that you are a constituent and identify the issue about which you are writing. If your letters pertain to a specific piece of legislation, … identify it by its bill number (e.g. H.R. ____ or S. _____).
3. Hit Your Three Most Important Points. Choose the three strongest points that will be most effective in persuading legislators to support your position and flesh them out.[4]
4. Personalize Your Letter. Tell your elected official why this legislation matters in his community or state. If you have one, include a personal story that shows how this issue affects you and your family. A constituent's personal stories can be very persuasive as your legislator shapes his or her position.
5. Personalize Your Relationship. Have you ever voted for this elected official? Have you ever contributed time or money to his or her campaign? Are you familiar with him/her through any business or personal relationship? If so, tell your elected official or his/her staff person. The closer your legislator feels to you, the more powerful your argument is likely to be.[5]
C. Appreciate the Unique Problems Communicating During the Trump Era.
In doing research for this article, I found it difficult to find sample letters that fit the situation. Heretofore, constituents writing their elected officials would be writing about proposed legislation, appropriations, projects, and/or regulations. Currently many citizens may be writing about a method of operation and/or multiple issues.
For my message to the President (page 5), I considered what I thought were the basic themes of the Trump Administration:
Cost of Living – State of the Economy;
Freedom;
Merit Selection of Employees/Contract and Grant Recipients;
Safety (both domestic and international, affecting individuals and the community or nation at-large); and
Values.
Reflecting upon those concepts, I elected to craft a message that articulated my concerns as safety issues.
D. Additional Recommendations. Supplement Personal Visits With a Written Communique.
If you’re protesting at an elected official’s office, write a letter about your concerns to leave with that official. Although he/she may dismiss an unnamed group of people, he/she cannot do that if specific letters of concern from named voters are submitted. For those who are timid about protesting, this also may ease the way for more people to participate.
Excellent, Sharon 💯👍 I will reStack ASAP 🙏🇺🇸
Great advice.