GET INVOLVED > Advocacy > Public Policy Toolkit
- Use your legislator's preferred method of communication
Find out what your legislator's preferred method of communication is (email, phone calls, letters.)
- Limit the number of letters, calls and visits you make
Legislators need and want input from constituents. Make your contacts to state your position and to follow through on crucial votes. Do not abuse your privilege.
- Encourage others to act as citizen lobbyists
Ask friends, neighbors, family members and colleagues who support your issue to write, call and visit their legislators. Share your views with others in the community by writing a letter to the editor.
- Make Your Issues Important During Election Campaigns
Vote for and support candidates who support your issues.
- Become a volunteer advocate for the Lung Association of Maine
Your contacts provide important information about legislators and their positions. If your correspondence is especially notable, send copies of your letters and legislator replies to the American Lung Association of Maine.
- Clearly identify your issue Refer to a bill number, title and sponsor in the opening paragraph. Cover only one subject in each communication.
State specifically which actions or positions you are asking the legislator to take. or positions you are asking the legislator to take. or positions you are asking the legislator to take. or positions you are asking the legislator to take.
- Explain why this issue is important Discuss the need for action and present data to support your position. Show how the issue relates to you, other constituents, the district and the legislator.
- Use your own words to express your views. When communications begin to look too much alike, the impact is not as great. Preprinted letters, postcards or forwarded emails are not effective. They are recognized as the work of a single group, whose members don’t care enough about an issue to write a letter or email.
- Start by thanking the legislator for past support (if appropriate).
Use one page or less to make your point (Emails should be even shorter). Do not send more material than is necessary to make your point.
- Ask the legislator to state his/her position or actions in a reply.
- Ask, but do not demand that the legislator vote for or against a bill.
- Be sure your letter is legible, whether typed or handwritten. Emails should be written in a similar format (no email “shorthand”).
- Include your name, address and phone number on the letter or email.
Your address is particularly important to ensure that your communication gets to the correct legislator. Letters may be mailed to legislators at their home address or the State House:
Senator or Representative (Name)
# 3 State House Station Augusta, Maine 04333
- Email addresses for legislators who have them can be found by town on the State of Maine website by using the following addresses:
Representatives in Augusta
Senators in Augusta
A visit with a legislator at his/her Capitol or district office is an opportunity to get to know the lawmaker and his/her staff members. You can express your concerns and knowledge of an issue and answer the legislator’s questions.
- Make an appointment. State which issue(s) you want to discuss.
- Prepare yourself with information about the legislator’s views, concerns, past votes and position on your issue.
- If you visit in a group, limit it to two or three people. Each person should briefly make a different point to support your position.
- Use the letter format as a guide to structure your presentation. Identify the issue. Ask for specific action. Explain why. Don’t demand or insist.
- Do not be confrontational or threatening. You do not want to lead the legislator to take a definite position opposing your point of view.
- Leave written materials with the legislator and staff members. Do not leave more material than is necessary to make your point.
- A visit is especially effective when made by a personal friend or colleague of the legislator, an important person in the district or someone who has worked on the legislator’s campaign.
- Be brief . Plan to stay no more than 15 minutes.
- Plan to follow your visit with more information to help clarify any questions raised in your discussion. Send a thank you letter to the legislator and staff for taking time to meet with you. This is another chance to urge the legislator to vote for or against a bill.
Often during a legislative session, when votes are taken and the status of a bill chnages quickly, phone calls are the best way to communicate with the lageislator and staff.
Follow the rules for letter writing: Identify the issue. Ask for specific action. Explain why. Don’t demand or insist. Be brief. Ask for a reply. Leave your name, address and phone number.
- All Senators can be contacted by calling: 287-1540 or 1-800-423-6900.
- All Representatives can be contacted by calling: 287-1400 or 1-800-423-290
