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Make an
appointment. It is always beneficial to schedule your appointment
ahead of time with the legislator's scheduler. Many offices
will ask for a meeting request in writing.
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Do not
be put off if the legislator is delayed or has you meet with
staff instead. This is a frequent occurrence, as legislators'
schedules are often unpredictable. If this happens, the good
news is that staff is usually well informed and will pass along
your information to their boss.
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When your
meeting begins, ask at the start how much time the legislator
or staff member has. If they have only a few minutes, it is
important that you get your point across quickly.
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Don't be
afraid to ask your legislator to act on your behalf. This is
their job as your representative. In most cases, you will be
asking them to support or defeat a particular bill.
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Know the
facts about the issue you are lobbying for. If you do not know
the answer to a particular question, simply state this and let
the legislator know you will get back to them with an answer.
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If you
are part of a group, choose one person to present the issue
overview. Another person may want to voice specifically what
your group wants the legislator to do on its behalf.
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Have a
fact sheet or handout to leave with the legislator or staff
member. The fact sheet should provide a brief overview of the
issue, why it is important to you, and what you want the representative
to do.
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Don't forget
to thank the legislator for their past support of issues important
to you, should this apply.
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Follow-up
your visit with a thank you letter and a reiteration of what
you asked the legislator to do. It is important that the legislator
knows you will be monitoring their position on your issues closely.
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Each person
should make a note of the representative's position on the issues
and share this information with the lobby day coordinator. This
information will be an important resource for future visits.
