Communicating with Elected Officials

Your letters and e-mails to Albany can and do make a difference.  Legislators rely on letters and e-mail to find out what the people are thinking.  And, for you, letters and e-mails can be the first step in building an ongoing relationship with your elected officials.  Send a copy of your letter/e-mail to AAP, 17 Elk Street, 5^th Floor, Albany, NY 12207. (e-mail Betsy@syanys.org)

Here are some guidelines to follow when writing:

• Spell your Senator and Assemblymember’s name correctly.  If you know your legislator, use his or her first name, your letter/e-mail will receive more attention.
• Write legibly or type your letters.
• Use your own words and your relay your own experiences.  Personal letters and real stories are more effective than preprinted postcards or petitions.
• Make the topic you are writing about, and your position on it, clear in the opening sentences.  For example: "I'm writing to oppose S. 468."
• Refer to bills by number (ex. S.468 or A.873)
  

• Stay on one topic.  If you want to write about other issues, send another letter later on.
  
• Give reasons for your position.  As appropriate, use personal experience or a concrete example to make your case.
  
• Raise questions.  A question can get a personal response.
  
• Keep it short.  One page is best.  Use two pages only if necessary for clarity and completeness.
  
• Identify the issue or specific bill name or number at the top of the letter.
  
• Be polite, positive, and constructive. Don't plead, and never threaten.
  
• Be timely.  Write before decisions are made and action is taken.  But don't write too long before - a letter six months before a vote will probably be forgotten.
  
• Offer to be a resource on the issue.
  
• Be sure that your name and address is on both the envelope and the letter. This is so your legislator knows you're a constituent.
  
• Thank your legislators when they take an action you agree with.
  
• Keep writing!