I love Gen Z. Progressive, passionate, savvy. This student’s how-to-guide for contacting elected officials is a toolkit presented to a social impact class at Rice University, but built with every student, community supporter and human who gives a damn in mind. Your voice is powerful, here are some basics for making sure it gets heard:

Let’s be real, politicians can’t be in tune with every single problem that their constituency faces. Personally reaching out to officials about specific issues allows them to give those issues attention, especially when you provide a personal connection to a greater issue within your community.

From the opioid crisis to common-sense gun laws, constituents regularly act as important players in informing elected officials on issues that matter to them which help bring dedicated funds and legislation to help solve local (and national) challenges.

So yeah—there are lots of ways to reach out to government officeholders. You’ve got petitions, website contact forms, emails, social media, in-person connections or screaming into a microphone at town halls (jokes!). Each outreach tactic has its own degree of effectiveness.

We’ve all signed at least one online petition in a moment of passion, boredom or pettiness and sure—they can be an indicator of the sheer volume of people who are interested in enacting change and can give organizers a list of future community partners for their respective movements. But for petitions to be truly effective, they need to be strategic and actually move humans to ACT repeatedly by inviting their signers to support the movement in crystal clear ways.

Bill Moyers has great insight into what makes online petitions stick, so don’t despair if this is your slacktivist jam.

Getting personal and out of your comfort zone is powerful. Congressman Mark Takano’s chief of staff told WIRED that "If you tell us about something that’s impacting you personally, that’s going to shape the work that we do on that issue." So let’s do it.

If you’re looking to find representatives at the federal level, head to congress.gov to search for your state reps. From there you’ll find a link to their website with direct contact information/portals to contact through the website. Other fun idea? Look through this list of all 116th Congress US Senator Twitter handles.

If you’re trying to connect with local officials, click here, select your state, and choose your filters from there. For example, in Texas you can sort by city, government type and county, among others. 

Pandemic or not, you can still make a solid semi-face-to-face connection with an elected representative (or their team) via Zoom, GoogleMeet or Facetime. If you’re new to the whole video conference tech thing, check out this listing of free video tools to try. Just don’t be that guy who keeps his camera off the whole time—work that eye contact magic, baby.

Scheduling a meeting with an elected official or their team (in most cases) is easier than you might think, really. Federal officials often have district offices that allow you to meet with staff without traveling to Washington. Here’s how:

1. Contact the office you’re interested in meeting and try to talk to an Appointment Secretary or Scheduler.
2. Have your calendar open with some specific times you’d like to meet. If an issue you’re interested in is going up for a vote, you need to get a meeting before then so be direct about this.
3. Be ready to share the legislation or issues you’d like to discuss for context.
4. Let them know that you’re a constituent and work that student angle. Your generation’s political voice is exploding, so be confident in who you are and where you are going.
5. Be polite AF even if you’re feeling a bit riled up. You got this.

Be aware that you might not be able to meet with your elected official specifically, but take advantage of the (probably quite brilliant and connected) staff members who have influence and slightly more calendar availability.

The big day is on the calendar and you’ve got nerves, but some time to get ready. Here’s what you do:

1. Create an agenda: You won’t have much time, so structure how you’ll spend that time accordingly. Don’t spend too long on the intro, narrow down your concerns and hopes into easily digestible bullet points and conclude with a VERY specific ask. 
2. Do some more homework: Make sure you’re knowledgeable about what the official has been up to, find an opportunity to show that you’re paying attention to them. 
3. Practice in the mirror, practice with a friend, then practice some more. Have 2-3 main talking points down pat so you’ll remember your important thoughts even with nerves. 
4. You don’t have to wear your Sunday best but dress in a way that doesn't detract from your purpose and helps you feel confident. Maybe it's 'business casual' or maybe it's jeans, a t-shirt with your cause's logo and a blazer. Unfortunately, the younger you are the harder you have to work to be taken seriously so pay attention to this detail.
5. If you’re meeting over Zoom, be mindful of your background, make sure your lighting makes your face visible and have a friend test your mic/speaker settings with you if you’re usually in a noisy environment. Need audio help? Check out Krisp, it’s a great noise canceling app for blocking background noise. 

When you get into your meeting, make a quick and friendly introduction. Give them a short give them a short background, and make sure they know that you’re a constituent. Feel free to bring up any connections you might have with them, it’s always great to start on common ground. 

After that, get right to it! Give them a brief overview with a few data points, and your position on the issue. If applicable, call out a recent Op-Ed or public action you’ve taken about the issue to show that you are serious and already being heard in the community. Tell them what results or action that you want the official to take, and how that action impacts you. Support your stance with other political leaders or organizations that support your stance on the issue. 

Finally, ask for commitment on the issue (if they aren’t clearly opposed) from them. Make it clear exactly what you’re asking, whether it be voting on a bill, looking into an issue, etc. If you’re meeting with a staff member, get confirmation that they are going to communicate your request with the official you’re looking to connect with. 

After the meeting, continue to shine and really stick the landing. Send a brief thank you email, with info like: 

• Relevant and descriptive subject line (and double-check your email address for embarrassing and email signature for helpful contact info)
• You appreciation for their time and work for your community
• Brief recap of what you discussed
• Reiterate what you’re requesting for them to do with relevant links, if applicable
• Reiterate or follow through on any follow-ups you might have committed to

Want to kick it up a notch? Send a thank you Tweet and handwritten snail mail note. Even if a staffer reads it, it’s good life practice and shows that you legit follow through. Finally, add a calendar reminder to check in on any follow-ups they promised.

Tenacity is key here, friends. Stay top of mind and engaged.

The world is a super weird place right now and, while reaching out to a perfect stranger you read about in the newspaper might feel uber uncomfortable, connecting on a human level to a passionate public servant is a REALLY important way to effect change. Reaching out to elected officials gets easier the more you do it and dammit!! you have things to say, perspectives to shift and mountains to move.