How to Schedule & Conduct Meetings with Congress

This report provides guidance to citizens for setting up, conducting, and following up after meetings with Members of Congress and their staff.

Citizens—and the associations, nonprofits, and corporations they belong to—often wish to enhance their voices by contacting the Senators and Representatives they like best, the ones they're most angry at, the ones they see on TV, the ones who sit on the committees most relevant to them, or possibly all of them, for good measure. Unless the legislators also happen to represent them, however, the messages almost never get through. Why is this?

Bob O'Hara felt like most Americans watching the political system in 2011. Living in the Boston area, with no political experience, he was frustrated at the level of discord, but also wondering what he could do about it. When the bipartisan group NoLabels was founded to address the problems of gridlock in government, he wanted to get involved. But again, like many Americans, he didn't know much about grassroots advocacy. He came to a NoLabels conference in Washington, D.C. later that year. The conference had many expert speakers on policy, what was causing gridlock, how many in Congress were equally if not more frustrated. But what I recently learned is that one presentation stuck in his head...mine.

Now that summer is here, legislators are increasing their scheduling of town hall meetings back in their districts. Recently some myths have emerged about this time honored aspect of our democracy. Some groups are claiming (usually tied to a fundraising pitch), "Congress isn't listening to citizens" and is holding fewer town hall meetings. This is false.

A huge amount of resources are invested in organized fly-in days, though they don't get as much media coverage. This article discusses some of the common mistakes that happen in these constituent-Congress meetings.