Phone calls, emails, and handwritten letters are all effective ways to communicate with your elected officials at local, state, and federal levels.

Here are some tips to consider when making your phone calls or writing your correspondence:

1. Find contact information - Locate your federal, state, and local elected officials at https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials. 
   

2. Be original - Thoughtfully communicated, original correspondence from constituents often has greater impact with legislators than does a script provided by an organization that constituents simply sign or read. 
   

3. Customize it - Edit any scripted talking points to fit your local context and your personal experiences.
   

4. Be concise - Consider making no more than three main points. Select your strongest points and stick with them.
   

5. Get personal - Remember to include why it is important to you. Share a personal reason that motivated you to call or email. 
   

6. Include your contact information - Your address will confirm that you are a constituent and contact information will provide your representative with the opportunity to respond to you, though they are busy people and are not always able to respond to every person who contacts them.

Here are some sample scripts you can use to contact your elected officials.

Before You Call

Know Your Representative:

• Find out who your elected officials are by entering your zip code or using this lookup tool. You will most likely be speaking with a staff member and not your elected official directly. The staffer will relay your message to your official.

Prepare Your Message:

• Read through the script to familiarize yourself with the key points. Feel free to personalize it to reflect your story or faith journey.

Pray and Reflect:

• Take a moment to pray for wisdom and courage, both for yourself and for the leaders you’ll be speaking with.

During the Call:

• Stay polite and respectful, even if the person on the other end disagrees with you.

• If asked a question you don’t know the answer to, it’s okay to say, “I’m not sure, but I’d be happy to follow up with more information.”

• Focus on the core message: for example, “preserving TPS is a moral imperative and reflects the values of love and justice.”

After the Call:

• Thank the person for their time and for listening to your concerns.

• Encourage friends and family to make similar calls using this script.

• Your call could be the nudge that inspires leaders to act with compassion and uphold the dignity of vulnerable communities. Together, as people of faith, we can make a difference!