Regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, or if you tend to swing all over it, we have all felt the inclination from time to time to make our voices heard –really heard – to our lawmakers. Earlier today I wrote a blog on the importance of the State Legislature, and how, on a day-to-day basis, it is far more involved in our lives than Congress in Washington, D.C.
For a long time exactly what the legislature did and who exactly represented us (as according to our district) was somewhat of a mystery. I remember as an undergraduate at Rutgers, back in the early 1990’s, spending time at the vast Alexander Library going through thick book-length annuals about the legislature to find out such facts. It was all very confusing, and frankly, much of the information was outdated due to election cycles, resignations and other political developments that so typify public office.
Today, none of those problems are roadblocks to civic action. By visiting a few websites, entering in some basic information, we can easily find out what district we reside in. We can find out who exactly represents us, what their political party and committee assignments are, and how to contact them either by U.S. postal “snail mail” or, and this is the major topic of this blog entry, email.
We make our ultimate point to our government on Election Day, without a doubt. It takes some schlepping, to be sure, but if you vote in one of New Jersey’s legislative elections, you’re a member of an elite club. Most never vote in these elections, and when citizens do, the result is shocking but common: a frightfully miniscule proportion of registered voters actually determine the Legislature’s makeup.
With the advent of email, the ease of contacting an exact legislator on a precise issue, for free and from the comfort of one’s home desk, workplace and/or smartphone, has arrived. Upset about the minimum wage? Your property taxes out of control? Concerned over rising tolls at the Hudson River crossings? Don’t wait or delay…send them an email. Just as you might text a teen to come home on time or email your boss a progress report on your next project, you can now contact these lawmakers directly…and they will listen to you. The reasons for this are not just out of civic concern on their part – though this might be a factor – but the plain fact that most of them won their elections by just a few hundred votes. And all of those votes were from people within a five-minute drive of you. So believe it or not, your letter, regardless of length, is important to them. Lobbyists might send money, the Governor’s office might threaten a veto, but only district voters directly place and sustain them in their positions of power, prestige and influence.
Legislators understand another important fact, and they don’t need to pay their political advisors or pollsters to discover it. Whether you are a professional executive or a 16-year-old high school student, if you bother to send in a well, thought-out letter, there are people – voters – who listen to you. As an educator, people in the faculty room at lunch, my wife over dinner, my family over Thanksgiving, constantly ask me where I stand on the issues. Some even ask my advice on whom to vote for. Our legislators know this well.
Email is easy. Email is free. And since the point of writing to a legislature is to get attention, to get some access, it’s the perfect medium to communicate with anyone in officialdom.
I’ve found a single website – a webpage, to be exact, with all of the information a concerned citizen/voter could need to find out who represents them and where to contact them electronically:http://www.njcommunityresources.info/njlegislators.html. This page lists all current legislators by town and district number, and contains all relevant information. It’s short, it’s concise, it’s enabling.
Now what about that letter? How should it be structured? Well, every issue is different, but here are some pointers:
1. Write one email and include all of your district representatives in the address section; there are only three per district – two assembly members and one Senator. No more. No less.
2. Try to keep your letter to one or two specific issues; don’t be long-winded and do limit yourself to a full page or two, single spaced
3. Be polite and professional in your tone; there is no need to be threatening or scream for attention. Your letter and presence as a resident living in-district is enough to catch their eye
4. State your opinion clearly on the issue, but also, if you can,cite examples, precedents and statistics to back up your assumptions
5. Be sure, absolutely sure, to include your home address at the end of the letter to again remind your legislator that you live in- district; if you do not live in-district your letter won’t be as impactful
6. Politely ask the legislator to get back to you with their comments on the issue; always request a follow-up to ensure that your letter is read and processed. You’re not bothering them – communicating with constituents is one of the most important aspects of their job
7. While I would not advise you to write them every day – that’s a bit too much – a few times a month is just fine. Let them know you’re paying attention and holding them accountable on a regular basis
Try it. It’s a cliché but it’s true: don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk. This might seem so easy, but it is citizen activism in its highest form. So start holding them responsible, now.
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