EVERYTHING you need to know about CALLING YOUR REPS
How to be heard in a time of chaos
If you want to get more targeted actions like this in your inbox, and support my work, please subscribe AND share with your friends!
I have gotten hundreds of questions in the last week about calling your reps. I’m going to put all my answers in this one document so it’s easy to find! Ask any questions in the comments and I’ll answer them in there!
How to Call Your Reps:
The EYP method for calling Congress is #SaveAllSix. This is an easy and effective way for you to contact your representatives about the issues that matter to you. No waiting for a switchline to transfer you. No need to google the number every time. This method arose from my experience working in the Senate where I saw the power that calls from constituents have to change members' actions. I know that one single phone call can feel like a small thing but I have been in the office receiving these calls. They truly matter.
The #SaveAllSix method simply means finding and saving the D.C. and local numbers for your reps and saving them in your phone to cut out any friction any time you want to call. Work smarter, not harder.
1. SAVE THE NUMBERS
You have three members of Congress who represent you at the federal level:
Two Senators and
One Representative (House Member).
Identify these three people and find two phone numbers for each:
Go to this website to find those three people and their DC office phone number (it will start with 202)
Click on each person’s website, then generally you can go to contact and then office locations, you will find a phone number for the local office closest to you*
Save these phone numbers in your phone
*Some members of the House do not have a local in-state office listed. With some digging you can find numbers on Legistorm.com. Please post in the comments if you need help
*If you don’t want to use this method, you can use the 5calls.org or the switchboard (202) 224-3121
2. CALL WITH A PURPOSE
When you call you should have a specific ‘ask’ ready: to vote a certain way on a nominee, to co-sponsor a bill, to speak out about a certain issue, to push the leader to do more.
Your call is recorded in a very basic way. The person taking down the information will just make check marks in a yes or no column regarding the content of the call.
The content of the calls is then delivered to the member of Congress at the end of the day. Generally, a member will be told the top three issues that were called about, and what those people wanted them to do.
The reason a specific ‘ask’ is important, is because you need to be able to hold the member accountable. They do it, or you keep calling. It is also easier to record.
3. WHAT TO SAY
Every day Congressional offices tally all of the calls. By making a call, you are adding to this list.
The person who answers the phone might ask you your name and zip code. It’s inconsistent when calls are answered by human beings not robots. Sometimes they ask for an address. They might not! Some offices are able to connect you to your voter file and know you are a constituent, others do not!
You should say something like this:
Hello, my name is [NAME] and I live in [TOWN, STATE]. I am a constituent. I am urging the Senator/Representative to do X, because Y. Thank you.
The ‘why’ doesn’t need to be long, or much of anything at all. If you want to go off, you can! If you want to say nothing, you can!
If you reach a real person, they are likely an intern or a staff assistant. What these (generally young people) do is take down the core of your ask, but otherwise, generally, don’t engage in much conversation. Rarely, because these are human beings not robots, they do make comments! Take these comments with a grain of salt - they are not official communications from the office.
BONUS
Make sure to follow your reps on social media and sign up for their newsletter (if they have one, most don’t!) Follow them closely! Comment! Give snaps when they do good! Criticize when they do bad!
Know your reps all the way down the ballot. You can have a greater influence the smaller the number of constituents they have. 25 people can move a town council member to act. You can use this lookup tool, but sometimes for the most local stuff you have to google!
FAQ:
Which office do I call first?
My suggestion is to call DC, and if no one picks up, call the in-state office. If you can’t catch someone, leave a voicemail or remember to call back later.
How often do I call?
Once per day on weekdays.
What if I can’t call during work hours?
Call when you can! Something is better than nothing. Voicemails are tallied and count on the day they are tallied.
Why should I call and not write/text/etc:
Offices weigh your action based on the amount of effort you are perceived to have put into it. People who call are people who are deeply invested in an issue and will likely vote and talk to other voters about it. People who work in Senate offices know that sending a form e-mail is less reflective of making something your personal mission than making a call.
AND - this is just how it is! Calls are weighed significantly more. They are tallied daily and that information is delivered to the Chief of Staff and the member. Mail goes through a process and isn’t collected for weeks. E-mails are overflowing, organized by mass email aggregation campaigns and often not from constituents.
Can I leave a voicemail or do I have to speak to a person?
The vast majority of offices go through their voicemails and mark down those constituent communications. So you should leave a voicemail if it’s the option. The reason I like talking to a person is because then I definitely know my opinion is being marked down and it helps create a sense of political momentum within the office.
What if their voicemail box is full or down?
This is why I want you to have saved the in-state number. Give that a try. A lot of calls are going into the Hill right now so members inform me their voicemail boxes are filling up quicker than staff can review. That being said, there are also cases of offices that do it intentionally (Kyrsten Sinema did this!) If that is your member you have to figure out an alternative way to contact them!
Can I email?
Yes, something is better than nothing.
I'm scared - what if they ask me questions I don't know the answer to?
First of all - as a voting member of the public, you are entitled to call your representative and share your thoughts. Your values are enough. Secondly - all they are doing is marking down your opinion on the report. They probably aren’t going to ask you any questions, and if they do you can always say you don’t know!
Do I have to say anything other than what’s in the script?
I don’t always post a full script, but generally, you can say whatever you want! But you don’t need to say anything other than that you are a constituent and what you are asking for. As a reminder the people answering the phone are interns or staff assistants, please be kind!
Can I call members of whom I am not a constituent?
People whom I respect disagree with me on this. My opinion on this comes from my experience working in the Senate.
I think you should only call your representatives.
A member of Congress’s job is to get elected again, that’s their core motivator. This isn’t a bad thing! That’s democracy at work, we want that! Because of that, they care a LOT about what their constituents think. The only reason they care what non-constituents think is when it reflects a widespread and powerful social movement that will impact their voters. This can be conveyed through social media.
As a practical matter, in my experience, when members get a huge number of non-constituent calls, they stop listening. Is that a good thing? No. Am I a pragmatist? Yes. (Shout out to anyone who got prag on the quiz in my book!)
Can I mention multiple bills or topics in my call?
Yes, call once per day and have a list ready of ALL your asks. List them out clearly at once!
Why do they need my contact information? Do I have to provide my full address or phone number?
Offices use this information to verify that you are a constituent and may also send you responses to your calls. Provide what you are comfortable with, but remember that members of Congress are, at the end of the day, incentivized to do what their constituents want because those are the people who could vote for them in their next election.
But if you don’t want to give it, don’t! Your prerogative!
My Representative already supports this - should I still call?
Yes! There is always more they can do - from rallying their colleagues and speaking out in the media to even leveraging procedural rules to force a vote on the floor. When they hear from us, it empowers them, pushes them, and inspires them to do more.
My Representative is an extremist. What’s the point in calling?
Even if it feels hopeless now, your call contributes to the long-term goal of changing the calculus for how these members vote on issues that matter to us. We need to communicate that if they continue supporting these policies, they will eventually get voted out. Members talk, staff talks, and people change. I know it feels impossible now, but I have seen it happen.
Do phone calls really make a difference?
Yes. Offices know that you have to care *a lot* about an issue to go out of your way to call. That means you probably care enough to vote based on the member’s position on this bill. It also helps shape the member’s view of what the public is starting to care a lot about - and public opinion is very influential in driving media coverage and votes.
How do I know what to call about?
Follow people or organizations who give you ideas! You want to call about things that are either (a) actively moving or (b) part of a long term strategy for legislative action. You don’t need to call someone to tell them to vote against a bill that has 2 co-sponsors and isn’t going anywhere. BUT you might want to call and tell them to co-sponsor if it’s an issue you really care about!
Will they stop listening if I call every day?
No. They will think, oh this person really cares about this and will probably talk to other voters about it. Or at minimum, maybe I do this to shut her up. Squeaky wheel gets the grease.
What if I get upset?
It’s okay!! These people’s job is to hear your calls. Once you do this a couple times it will become more of a habit and get easier.
What if my rep NEVER answers their phone or allows voicemail?
Two things, first, use one of the other ways to contact them to make your voice heard on issues. Second, make public your frustration on the lack of access!
I got a letter/email from my rep saying they are going to keep doing the bad thing, still worth it?
Members' minds are always made until they change. There are people in the Congress whose job is Legislative Correspondent, it is their whole job to write these responses to you. It’s the process and you can drop them into the circular filing cabinet.
What if I live in DC/am not a voter?
My 2 cents is to put your efforts into posting on socials, doing something else, but you can certainly adopt a member and make some calls if you want!
If I tell them I won’t vote for them unless they do it, does that make a difference?
It might make you feel better! Your call goes down on a checklist, the assumption behind a call is that your vote is dependent on the issue at hand! Other commentary isn’t taken into consideration.
What else can I do?
I have SO MANY IDEAS.
On Socials:
Post on social media asking your friends to make calls too.
Offer to help anyone you know identify their reps and come up with a plan to make a call.
Post comments on your members' social media pages.
Post about the issues you care about on social media. I believe that social media is the modern public square - and messaging is a powerful tool to shape public policy. Messaging got Donald Trump elected President. The more people that share the more people who learn about calling their reps and the more calls going to Congress about important issues!
Go into your town Facebook groups and tell other people what your reps are doing.
Elsewhere:
Write a letter to the editor for your local or state paper. This is very much giving boomer but hey - guess who still runs a lot of our country? And boomers VOTE.
Organize a civic pod. I’m partial to starting a ‘book club’ where the books are just an organizing tool to get cool people together.
Get involved locally, Democracy in Retrograde can help you get started on that path!!
More influence!
Find out if your reps are having town halls or public events, go and tell them what you want them to do, ask a question.
You can call the local office and talk to a constituent services liaison and request an in person meeting with a staff member. Get your civic pod together and do a meeting about one issue you care about!
Join an org that has a legislative action arm (typically a 501(c)(4)) and join their lobby days, legislative committee or whatever is happening. Learn by doing! You will love it.
Thank you so much for this. I’ve always been hesitant to call because (1) I hate phone calls and (2) my reps are red state extremists.
But with your indispensable guidance, I called all 3 of my reps today. It took less than 5 mins, even with searching out their local phone numbers.
I mispronounced “kleptocracy” in my first voicemail, but what does my verbal blundering matter in the face of actual kleptocracy? The second voicemail was much smoother. And the staffer who answered my third call was polite and professional.
And nobody yelled at me!
Thank you for reminding us that the people taking the calls/listening to the voicemails are interns or assistants. Imagining that a young person is hearing my message helps me stay calm and focused. This intern doesn't need to hear me rant; they just need enough info to make a tally. The purpose of the call isn't to transform their hearts and minds; it is to make them aware of this constituent's policy/agenda requests.