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Now's your chance: meeting with elected officials
(courtesy of the Sierra Club)

Meeting with elected officials in person is an opportunity to make personal contact with decision-makers and convey your position in a persuasive and animated manner. A lobby visit allows you to tell your Senator or Representative what you think about a certain issue or bill and ask her/him to take positive action.

Here are some suggestions for a successful lobby visit:

Before the Meeting

  • Request a meeting in writing with specific times and dates. Follow up with a call to the scheduler or secretary to confim the meeting.
  • Make sure to convey what issue or bill you would like to discuss.
  • Decide on talking points to express your most important ideas.
  • Set a goal for the meeting. Do you want the Representative to vote for or against a bill or introduce legislation?

During the Meeting

  • Be prompt.
  • Keep it short and stick to your talking points.
  • Take the time to thank the elected official for past votes in support of your issues.
  • Provide personal and local examples of the impact of the legislation.
  • Be honest and don't claim to know more than you do about an issue. You don't have to be the expert, just a committed and active constituent.
  • Set a deadline or timeline for response.

After the Meeting

  • Write a thank you letter to the legislator.
  • Send any materials and information you offered.
  • Follow up on deadlines and if they are not met, set up others. Be persistent.



“This is the greatest wildlife spectacle we have in North America, here in the Arctic Refuge.”

-Bill Weber

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