"Dan Ringer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> made an utterence to the drakelist gang ---------------------------------------------------------------------- On 31 Oct 2004 at 10:53, Thom R. Lacosta wrote: > > Can you shed some light on the effectiveness of email to elected > officials? My two senators in Maryland basically ignore it, with > canned autoresponders that give you the impression that they are truly > "Stealh Senators". >
If you are communicating with a particular senatorial aid, and have a relationship with him/her, e-mail can be very effective. Otherwise: 1. Make an appointment and visit your senator at her/his office on Capitol Hill. Yes the expense is relatively large. They know that and it adds tons to the impact of your message. You are unlikely to see your senator. At least not the first time. Take presents (leave behinds) that relate to the subject and your group. (They seem to like golf shirts.) DO NOT attempt to visit a senator who does not represent you. You will literally be laughed at by the otherwise nice person at the reception desk. If you are not from East Dakota (or wherever) take someone with you who is. 2. A personal letter is next best. Do not use a form letter. Mention where you live and why the issue is important to your community. Understand that mail isn't delivered for a very long time and will most likely have been x-rayed and otherwhere examined to death (literally). Letters sometimes actually crumble as they are opened. Fax is considered fine these days. I have heard it suggested that Fed. Ex./UPS gets through, but I've never tried it - except for golf shirts (see above). It takes a very special letter to actually get to a senator. 3. A phone call is good if you're looking to have your opinion counted in a "fer it/agin it" poll. Really. Attention is paid to phone calls - on a numerical basis. Senators and members of Congress do pay attention to the numbers of postcards/letters/phone calls they get. But the best form of communication is a sit down talk with your representative. If you want one of those be the reps college roommate, campaign manager, or a large contributor. You might also try representing a large group and presenting her/him with a very nice award. "Drake List Senator of the Year" or some such. Bring the media with you! I've been there. Done that a lot. I've asked Senators and Representatives, aids and lobbyists. This is the way it's done. Dan, K8WV ======================================================== DO NOT read, copy or disseminate this communication unless you are the intended addressee. This e-mail communication (and any attached documents) contains confidential and/or privileged information intended only for the addressee. If you have received this communication in error, please call us (collect) immediately at (304) 292-1999. Also please notify us immediately via e-mail that you have received the communication in error. ------------------------------------------------------- Darrell (Dan) Ringer Attorney 2000 ABA Practitioner of the Year 1999-2000 President, WV State Bar 1996 WV Lawyer of the Year 823 Fairmont Road Morgantown, WV 26501 304-292-1999 FAX 304-292-3372 ===== Watch THE LAW WORKS (http://www.thelawworks.org) on WV Public Television, Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. ===== ---------------------------------------------------------------------- On Behalf of "Dan Ringer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Submissions: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - unsubscribe drakelist in body Hopelessly Lost: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - help in body of message Zerobeat Web Page: http://www.zerobeat.net Brought to you courtesy of TLCHost.net http://www.tlchost.net/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------
