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Florida Senate, District 9 Jason Brodeur (R) 311 Senate Building404 South Monroe Street Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100 850.487.5009 @jasonbrodeur |
Florida House of Representatives, District 28David Smith (R)
1151 E. State Rd. 434 Suite 2001 #266 Winter Springs, FL 32708 407-971-6570 | 850.717.5028 @ElectSmith28 |
Florida House of Representatives, District 29Scott Plakon (R)
1855 W. State Rd. 434 Suite #222 Longwood, FL 3275 407.262.7423 | 850.717.5029 @ScottPlakon |
Florida House of Representatives, District 30Joy Goff-Marcil (D)
630 South Maitland Ave Suite #120 Maitland, FL 32751 407.623.1010 | 850.717.5030 @JoyforFL |
Interaction between any elected official and his or her constituents is a crucial part of the democratic process. This is especially true for members of an advocacy organization such as the PTA.
PTA wants legislative leaders to view PTA’s members as a useful and knowledgeable resource when it comes to matters that concern the well-being of children. Building this relationship is done in a variety of ways, not the least of which is a regular correspondence between you and your member of Congress. Hearing the needs and concerns of their constituents is of the utmost importance to elected officials, as constituents are the people who decide whether or not they remain in office.
The Basics:
When you decide to advocate on behalf of children, it is important to consider your audience. While it may be tempting to send out a mass e-mail or letter to all or many members of Congress, only the members who represent your district will respond to what you have to say.
Things to Remember when Corresponding with Your Members of Congress
E-mails:
E-mails are the most effective form of communication when advocating directly to an elected official. Most offices now have standard e-mail forms that can be accessed right from the “Contact” tab of their website.
E-Mail Tips:
Drafting Your Letter:
It is generally not the members themselves that read constituent mail, but their legislative aides. These legislative aides receive hundreds of e-mails, phone calls, and letters everyday regarding a wide array of policies, so it is important that your letter be as concise as possible in order to be effective. It is also helpful to use your own words and draft a unique letter for your correspondence with your elected official.
Tips for Drafting an Effective Letter:
Calling Your Legislator:
Calling your Legislator is an effective way to advocate, especially when an important vote is coming up. As with other forms of communication between yourself and an elected official, members will usually only correspond with their own constituents out of professional courtesy to other members.
Tips for Calling Your Member of Congress:
If you need more information on Florida PTA Legislative Priorities please click below:
PTA wants legislative leaders to view PTA’s members as a useful and knowledgeable resource when it comes to matters that concern the well-being of children. Building this relationship is done in a variety of ways, not the least of which is a regular correspondence between you and your member of Congress. Hearing the needs and concerns of their constituents is of the utmost importance to elected officials, as constituents are the people who decide whether or not they remain in office.
The Basics:
When you decide to advocate on behalf of children, it is important to consider your audience. While it may be tempting to send out a mass e-mail or letter to all or many members of Congress, only the members who represent your district will respond to what you have to say.
Things to Remember when Corresponding with Your Members of Congress
- Always be polite and courteous. Legislators and their legislative staff are considerably less likely to respond to rude or profane letters.
- Be as concise as possible. Remember that each office has dozens of legislative issues to cover and hundreds of constituent requests each day.
- Include your home or work address in every letter, even in e-mails.
- Thank the member for taking the time to read your letter.
- Remember that correspondence with any elected official is about building an ongoing relationship and persuading them to think of you as a resource. Even if an elected official does not agree with your point of view on an issue today, they might in the future.
E-mails:
E-mails are the most effective form of communication when advocating directly to an elected official. Most offices now have standard e-mail forms that can be accessed right from the “Contact” tab of their website.
E-Mail Tips:
- Keep your letter as short and concise as possible. Some e-mails can be as short as a single paragraph urging your member to vote a certain way or to advocate for a certain issue, but letters up to three paragraphs are effective.
- Make sure the important information contained in your e-mail jumps out. You can do this by putting what action you are requesting in the subject line (ex: YES on H.R. 3). Even if the member or his/her staff does not take the time to read your letter in its entirety, they will still have received the message that one of their constituents feels a certain way about an issue.
Drafting Your Letter:
It is generally not the members themselves that read constituent mail, but their legislative aides. These legislative aides receive hundreds of e-mails, phone calls, and letters everyday regarding a wide array of policies, so it is important that your letter be as concise as possible in order to be effective. It is also helpful to use your own words and draft a unique letter for your correspondence with your elected official.
Tips for Drafting an Effective Letter:
- Make sure to include the specific bill number (e.g., H.R. 1 or S. 1).
- A one-page, three-paragraph letter is usually recommended.
- In your first paragraph, explain why you are writing and identify yourself and indicate your connection to PTA.
- In your second paragraph, provide more detail on the issue about which you are writing.
- Briefly include relevant research, local data, and relevant personal stories that will effectively persuade your member to see your side of the issue.
- State what action you would like your elected official to take in the third paragraph. If you are requesting they vote Yes or No on an upcoming vote on a bill, then be direct and say so. Or, politely request that they direct their attention to matters relevant to PTA.
Calling Your Legislator:
Calling your Legislator is an effective way to advocate, especially when an important vote is coming up. As with other forms of communication between yourself and an elected official, members will usually only correspond with their own constituents out of professional courtesy to other members.
Tips for Calling Your Member of Congress:
- Make sure to prepare beforehand for your call. If there is a certain piece of legislation you would like the legislator to vote on, know what the specific number is (e.g., H.R. 2).
- Identify yourself as one of their constituents.
- Explain to the staff member what it is you are calling about and what action you would like the member to take (e.g., voting Yes or No on a piece of legislation).
- Feel free to briefly share any relevant research, data, and stories that you might have with the staff member. This will go a long way in your relationship building with your congressional office. You want them to think of you as a resource when it comes to education issues.
- Try to illustrate the connection between the legislation being voted on in Tallahassee with the effects it will have in your community. This will help bring the point home to the member and provide further encouragement for their office to take your requests and concerns seriously.
- Because elected official's offices are extremely busy, it is important to be as concise and brief as possible in order to be effective. While you might feel that explaining the minutiae of a bill to the staff member will be helpful, this will only frustrate whomever you are talking to and will likely not help your cause.
- Be as congenial and polite as possible. Staff members are overwhelmed with angry phone calls, letters, and faxes on a daily basis; being pleasant and easy to talk to will go a long way in getting your voice heard.
- Be aware and respectful of the fact that the staff member may not have in-depth knowledge about the issue or specific legislation you are calling to discuss. There are hundreds of bills introduced, so be mindful of this fact and do not be discouraged if they are not familiar with the issue or legislation.
- Always thank the staff member for taking the time to talk with you.
If you need more information on Florida PTA Legislative Priorities please click below: