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.
This is me too but every day that I do it, it gets easier! Today I called in the car with my husband to demonstrate how easy it is and hopefully encourage him to call too!
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.
Emily, I needed to comment because today, for the first time, I actually DID this advice instead of just reading it and knowing I should. And wow, what a high—to engage in my democracy!!! Now my three reps are on my favorites list and it really wasn't as scary as I thought. Especially after I did the first one. Now I have a little script and I can update it as more and more things need me to reach out to my reps. Now to take Democracy in Retrograde off of my bookshelf (it looks so pretty up there) and read it, take notes, get it dirty and use all of the info you have shared with us. Thank you, thank you!
I called my AG in Minnesota and spoke to a real person!! She said that there have been so many comments left about Musk in the past few days that the comments have reached AG Ellison, and that he’s working with other AG’s to take action to protect us. Calling works!!!!
I'm sorry to sound cynical, but I'm compelled to ask, seriously, all our non-nazi politicians and AG's believe that if they're not hearing from constituents on these issues, what they think constituents want is a government takeover by nazis???
It is in their oaths of office to protect the constitution. We call when we want our elected representative to know that we'd like them to vote in support of the bill that provides funding for universal school meals versus other constituents that don't support universal meal programs.
If a constituent is calling a politician to say they want them to continue to align themselves with nazis and the politician takes THAT call as seriously as the constituent wanting their school to provide meals for all kids, that is 1) FUCKED, 2) Missing the boat on what active democratic engagement is, because democracy is about debating HOW laws can benefit people, not how to make some people less free than others by exploiting a legal framework to act with discrimination.
And frankly, it is a level of BULLSHIT that some kind of onus is being put on citizens, some kind of responsibility, for making elected representatives fight nazis. That is something they should have identified and started fighting ten years ago. They are the ones who should have identified threats and worked to mitigate them, without any input from citizens on that front.
I get it. I think if we can survive this… Whatever you want to call what we’re experiencing…
That there will be an overhaul of how representatives of our government engage with their constituents.
I for one have gotten way more involved in just knowing about my local and state government as well as the federal government. And I’ve been doing a lot of reading about the history of the United States and how tyranny begins… our country is littered with prejudice and injustice, and the progress has actually been pretty slow.
I’m hopeful that out of this dumpster fire… It will produce a more engaged in knowledgeable voting base. One that is going to hold them accountable. Clearly that was not happening.
Well, this regime is using the same verbiage, the same ideology, the same visual symbolism, and the same fear-mongering and threat, as nazis. So that's why I called them nazis above, why I'm calling this administration a nazi regime, and this government takeover as nazimericanization.
I understand calling for normal times. I do not understand why anyone in congress would need normal citizens to point them to the right course of action for a coup.
(I am calling regardless but it’s giving weaponized incompetence husband “just make me a list and I’ll help!” energy.)
I called my rep this week, and his staff was actually taking notes that became part of a presentation he made on the House floor. He was able to give specific examples that illustrated his point, based on what constituents shared with him.
Just made my first two calls ever and the person I spoke to at Betty McCollum’s office said he hadn’t heard of the first bill yet, I feel like my call actually made a difference!
Emily is my political muse! I’ve used your guidance to get many friends engaged in calling and contacting their reps…thank you.
Funny story: my 78 yo very pissed off father has been calling. He checks in with me each morning to see what ‘my friend Emily’ (I did meet you on the DC leg of your book tour lol) suggests. We’re in GA (ugh) and his congressman is Rich McCormick. 🤢 Apparently McCormick’s local office blocks calls from area codes that aren’t in GA, so my dad’s cell (that has our old MD area code) won’t go through. So, he uses his “burner” phone AKA his landline. 😂
Really love the reminder that the only "reason" we need to call is because something is important to us, and as a voter, that's enough! This is a great guide - thank you!
I'm having problems with Adam Schiff's office. His DC mailbox is full, and I can't find the number for a local California office. Legistorm could not find any information either.
Great, tactical guidance here. We’ve housed an intern for a Senator and her regular report at the end of an office day would be “we got over 10,000 calls today, all the interns were taking turns listening to the voicemail boxes which filled up overnight.” Note that this was during a high-stress time with atrocities piling up in Gaza … but I’d guess that we are in another high-stress time, so the volume of calls is likely to be high now too! All to say that calls should be short and all-business. Extra shout-out for making this un-represented DC voter feel seen 💙
Yea I have a friend who was like - we had to send calls to voicemail so our interns could eat lunch. At the end of the day these are actual people answering and recording the calls!
Also, I checked out Cornyn’s social media pages where he had a video from RFK’s confirmation hearing praising the AIDS prevention program in Africa (PEPFAR) and wanting it to continue (which now goes away with USAID being dismantled) - so I got to include that fun little tidbit in my call!
SO HELPFUL! I was going to call yesterday but wasn’t sure what to say (“what are you doing to stop the government from imploding” didn’t seem specific enough 😅）. Calling now with these points!!!
Perfect timing, as I was just tackling my civic duties for today. I spoke with Julie Johnson's (TX Rep) office, and the person answering the phone was so supportive and encouraging. It didn't help that I got a little tearful on the call. Passion & frustration often pour out my eyeholes.
Reposting my comment from Insta since it was so popular…
I did it. I actually called them all. And left a comment on their most recent Facebook post. I AM a former local elected official and this is STILL hard for me to do. My friends are some of their staffers. The psychology behind all of this is so fascinating. Anyway. Thank you for laying it all out, and repeating the message. After I saw it like 6 times I finally did it today, and I have the #s saved with intention of keeping it going when other actionable requests come through. THANK YOU EMILY!!! xoxo, Jenna in Michigan 🇺🇸✨
p.s. Senator Elisssa Slotkin’s office is reporting 7-8 calls per minute that each lasts 3-4 minutes. 🔥
Great to hear. Also here in Michigan and calling Slotkin and Peters. I got a busy signal with both offices the other day. I haven’t heard a busy signal for 20 years! I’ve never been in the habit of calling before and realize it was something I should’ve been doing for a long time. I couldn’t help but think for Elissa newly in office, welcome to the Thunder Dome. 🤣 I found their local offices addresses and if I keep getting a busy signal, I’m getting in the car.
What if you call and get an actual human, but then you get nervous because an actual human answered, and also you're new at this, so you say the wrong thing (like oppose instead of co-sponsor 🤦). Is calling back to make the correct statement enough?
To avoid this, I don't even try to memorize the script. I put my headphones on so I can look at my phone and pull up the script to read when they answer. I take it slow and make sure I'm speaking clearly and deliberately, which helps. I loathe talking on the phone with all my being, but the more calls I've made to my reps, the easier it gets once I get past the anticipatory anxiety and actually place the call 😅
It's helpful to hear other's experiences! I started creating a Google note sectioned out into things I want them to support and things I want them to oppose then read through each list. It has helped a lot!
I do the same thing! I also find the 5calls.org scripts to be helpful starting points to craft my own. I take ideas from multiple topics and then make a short and to the point list
Emily I just want to say I appreciate you. Glad to have been a member of this community for a few years now and to be a subscribe, supporting your work. 💙
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!
amazing!
This is me too but every day that I do it, it gets easier! Today I called in the car with my husband to demonstrate how easy it is and hopefully encourage him to call too!
Thank you for the much needed inspiration!
That's awesome!
Way to go! I hope you are proud of yourself. 💙
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.
That's a great point!
Emily, I needed to comment because today, for the first time, I actually DID this advice instead of just reading it and knowing I should. And wow, what a high—to engage in my democracy!!! Now my three reps are on my favorites list and it really wasn't as scary as I thought. Especially after I did the first one. Now I have a little script and I can update it as more and more things need me to reach out to my reps. Now to take Democracy in Retrograde off of my bookshelf (it looks so pretty up there) and read it, take notes, get it dirty and use all of the info you have shared with us. Thank you, thank you!
That's awesome!
I called my AG in Minnesota and spoke to a real person!! She said that there have been so many comments left about Musk in the past few days that the comments have reached AG Ellison, and that he’s working with other AG’s to take action to protect us. Calling works!!!!
great to hear!
I had the same experience with AG Sunshine in PA. I talked to a real person and he said they were already getting calls about musk and taking notes. 🤞
Thanks for the encouragement- I’m going to try calling the new PA AG now.
I'm sorry to sound cynical, but I'm compelled to ask, seriously, all our non-nazi politicians and AG's believe that if they're not hearing from constituents on these issues, what they think constituents want is a government takeover by nazis???
It is in their oaths of office to protect the constitution. We call when we want our elected representative to know that we'd like them to vote in support of the bill that provides funding for universal school meals versus other constituents that don't support universal meal programs.
If a constituent is calling a politician to say they want them to continue to align themselves with nazis and the politician takes THAT call as seriously as the constituent wanting their school to provide meals for all kids, that is 1) FUCKED, 2) Missing the boat on what active democratic engagement is, because democracy is about debating HOW laws can benefit people, not how to make some people less free than others by exploiting a legal framework to act with discrimination.
And frankly, it is a level of BULLSHIT that some kind of onus is being put on citizens, some kind of responsibility, for making elected representatives fight nazis. That is something they should have identified and started fighting ten years ago. They are the ones who should have identified threats and worked to mitigate them, without any input from citizens on that front.
I get it. I think if we can survive this… Whatever you want to call what we’re experiencing…
That there will be an overhaul of how representatives of our government engage with their constituents.
I for one have gotten way more involved in just knowing about my local and state government as well as the federal government. And I’ve been doing a lot of reading about the history of the United States and how tyranny begins… our country is littered with prejudice and injustice, and the progress has actually been pretty slow.
I’m hopeful that out of this dumpster fire… It will produce a more engaged in knowledgeable voting base. One that is going to hold them accountable. Clearly that was not happening.
Well, this regime is using the same verbiage, the same ideology, the same visual symbolism, and the same fear-mongering and threat, as nazis. So that's why I called them nazis above, why I'm calling this administration a nazi regime, and this government takeover as nazimericanization.
I understand calling for normal times. I do not understand why anyone in congress would need normal citizens to point them to the right course of action for a coup.
(I am calling regardless but it’s giving weaponized incompetence husband “just make me a list and I’ll help!” energy.)
I called my rep this week, and his staff was actually taking notes that became part of a presentation he made on the House floor. He was able to give specific examples that illustrated his point, based on what constituents shared with him.
Just made my first two calls ever and the person I spoke to at Betty McCollum’s office said he hadn’t heard of the first bill yet, I feel like my call actually made a difference!
That’s awesome! 🙌🏻
Emily is my political muse! I’ve used your guidance to get many friends engaged in calling and contacting their reps…thank you.
Funny story: my 78 yo very pissed off father has been calling. He checks in with me each morning to see what ‘my friend Emily’ (I did meet you on the DC leg of your book tour lol) suggests. We’re in GA (ugh) and his congressman is Rich McCormick. 🤢 Apparently McCormick’s local office blocks calls from area codes that aren’t in GA, so my dad’s cell (that has our old MD area code) won’t go through. So, he uses his “burner” phone AKA his landline. 😂
Really love the reminder that the only "reason" we need to call is because something is important to us, and as a voter, that's enough! This is a great guide - thank you!
I'm having problems with Adam Schiff's office. His DC mailbox is full, and I can't find the number for a local California office. Legistorm could not find any information either.
He took over Fienstein’s old numbers and I had the SF one saved. It’s (415) 393-0707. Voicemail is not yet full this morning!
Thank you for this. I had the same question of how to get ahold of Schiff.
THANK YOU for this!! Now I'm mad I deleted my Fienstein contact in my phone!
Found these online:
DC - (202) 224-3841
San Francisco - (415) 393-0707
Fresno - (559) 485-7430
Los Angeles- (310) 914-7300
San Diego - (619) 231-9712
Yes! I was able to get through to both senators by right away calling the San Diego number.
Thank you!!
I think we need to get on Schiff's socials and hassle him about his DC mailbox being full.
Great, tactical guidance here. We’ve housed an intern for a Senator and her regular report at the end of an office day would be “we got over 10,000 calls today, all the interns were taking turns listening to the voicemail boxes which filled up overnight.” Note that this was during a high-stress time with atrocities piling up in Gaza … but I’d guess that we are in another high-stress time, so the volume of calls is likely to be high now too! All to say that calls should be short and all-business. Extra shout-out for making this un-represented DC voter feel seen 💙
Yea I have a friend who was like - we had to send calls to voicemail so our interns could eat lunch. At the end of the day these are actual people answering and recording the calls!
Regularly making calls from Texas!
Also, I checked out Cornyn’s social media pages where he had a video from RFK’s confirmation hearing praising the AIDS prevention program in Africa (PEPFAR) and wanting it to continue (which now goes away with USAID being dismantled) - so I got to include that fun little tidbit in my call!
Stealing this! Thank you.
SO HELPFUL! I was going to call yesterday but wasn’t sure what to say (“what are you doing to stop the government from imploding” didn’t seem specific enough 😅）. Calling now with these points!!!
Perfect timing, as I was just tackling my civic duties for today. I spoke with Julie Johnson's (TX Rep) office, and the person answering the phone was so supportive and encouraging. It didn't help that I got a little tearful on the call. Passion & frustration often pour out my eyeholes.
Reposting my comment from Insta since it was so popular…
I did it. I actually called them all. And left a comment on their most recent Facebook post. I AM a former local elected official and this is STILL hard for me to do. My friends are some of their staffers. The psychology behind all of this is so fascinating. Anyway. Thank you for laying it all out, and repeating the message. After I saw it like 6 times I finally did it today, and I have the #s saved with intention of keeping it going when other actionable requests come through. THANK YOU EMILY!!! xoxo, Jenna in Michigan 🇺🇸✨
p.s. Senator Elisssa Slotkin’s office is reporting 7-8 calls per minute that each lasts 3-4 minutes. 🔥
Great to hear. Also here in Michigan and calling Slotkin and Peters. I got a busy signal with both offices the other day. I haven’t heard a busy signal for 20 years! I’ve never been in the habit of calling before and realize it was something I should’ve been doing for a long time. I couldn’t help but think for Elissa newly in office, welcome to the Thunder Dome. 🤣 I found their local offices addresses and if I keep getting a busy signal, I’m getting in the car.
What if you call and get an actual human, but then you get nervous because an actual human answered, and also you're new at this, so you say the wrong thing (like oppose instead of co-sponsor 🤦). Is calling back to make the correct statement enough?
I'd call back!
I did! Thank you! My daughter got two lessons this morning while she called with me: 1. How to call your senators and 2. We're all fallible 🫣
To avoid this, I don't even try to memorize the script. I put my headphones on so I can look at my phone and pull up the script to read when they answer. I take it slow and make sure I'm speaking clearly and deliberately, which helps. I loathe talking on the phone with all my being, but the more calls I've made to my reps, the easier it gets once I get past the anticipatory anxiety and actually place the call 😅
It's helpful to hear other's experiences! I started creating a Google note sectioned out into things I want them to support and things I want them to oppose then read through each list. It has helped a lot!
I do the same thing! I also find the 5calls.org scripts to be helpful starting points to craft my own. I take ideas from multiple topics and then make a short and to the point list
Same! The 5calls scripts are a great start. I find them a little verbose at times so I simplify a lot so I can get through my list efficiently.
Emily I just want to say I appreciate you. Glad to have been a member of this community for a few years now and to be a subscribe, supporting your work. 💙