How to Get Your Congressperson’s Attention

Have you ever wondered what it takes to get your issue noticed by your Congressional representatives? Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC (ACS) provides advocacy planning and implementation to bring awareness to your issues at the local, state, and federal policy levels. We have several tools on our website to help you get started.

Sometimes, it’s good to get a sneak peak on the inside. Emily Ellsworth (@editoremilye) who served as district staff for two Utah Representatives, posted a series of tweets that were picked up by The New York Times, CNN, and The Huffington Post. As a district staffer, Emily worked in the state offices, not in DC, and she says that communication with the local office and staff is key to getting attention for your issue. So is using the phone.

“But, phone calls! That was a thing that shook up our office from time. One time, a radio host gave out our district office phone number on air. He was against our immigration policy and told our constituents to call. And they did. All. Day. Long. All I did all day was answer phones. It was exhausting and you can bet my bosses heard about it. We had discussions because of that call to action,” Ellsworth said in a triad of tweets.

In addition to calling, Ellsworth also encourages nonprofit or advocacy groups to invite staff on “field trips” to learn more about the work going on in constituent communities. “If you run an advocacy group, invite local staffers to show up to your events. Let them talk to people you work with and set up meetings. I loved getting out of my office and meeting with advocates in immigration, healthcare, education, science, and every type of work,” she says.

You can learn more about how ACS engages policymakers on behalf of The Ohio 8 Coalition, PRE4CLE, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and more here.