Contacting your elected officials

The basics

• If you live in a state, you have officials at every level: federal (the president, two U.S. senators, one U.S. representative), state (governor, state lawmakers) and local (mayor, council, county, school board).
• Find your U.S. representative by entering your ZIP code at house.gov. Senate.gov lists senators by state, and usa.gov links to directories for state and local officials.
• You can call, use a web form or email, mail a letter, or ask for a meeting. Most offices list contact options on their website. Include your home address so they know you live in their area.
• In staff surveys by the nonpartisan Congressional Management Foundation, in-person visits from constituents ranked highest, and personal messages ranked well above identical form messages.
• Staff told the same group that messages explaining how an issue affects their district or state, or sharing a personal story, are very helpful, but they don't often get them.

Why it matters to you

Officials make choices about your schools, streets and taxes. Hearing from constituents, the people they represent, is one way they learn what matters to the community.

Myth vs. fact

What you can do

• Look up your U.S. representative by ZIP code at house.gov and your senators at senate.gov, then find your state and local officials through usa.gov.
• Write a short message: say you live in their area, name one issue, explain how it affects you or your community, and say what you hope they will do.
• Ask your city council or school board office how to request a meeting or speak during public comment.