Capitol Hill exists somewhere between its grandiose portrayal in House of Cards and the abysmal dysfunction assumed by your crazy uncle on Facebook.
Washington D.C. is often vilified, and maybe it should be, but there are many staffers and interns who work in the District that are out there to serve. I would implore anyone looking to create serious change to find the ear of these folks, rather than shout in the wind.
The best way to make your voice and your opinion heard is to contact your local Federal representative. Congress has 435 members that serve in the House of Representatives. A few of them know fully well that they will be re-elected and many have both primary and general elections that could swing either way.
These members of Congress place tremendous weight on the opinions of their constituents. It makes sense, they want to please the people tasked with reelecting them. When someone calls a congressional office, they speak with a staffer or an intern and their thoughts are then logged into a database.
When enough people comment on an issue, it’s brought to the attention of the congressperson by their staff. If you want your opinion to find its way into the database, there are a few rules you must follow.
Over the past summer I interned at a congressional office and here are some of the things I have learned:
Stay polite. This is fairly self-explanatory. The people answering the phones are doing just that. They’re not the ones voting on legislation, or chairing committees. There is nothing that forces a staffer or intern to input a voiced opinion into the database. If you decide to take your anger out on me there’s a chance I just don’t enter your thoughts in the database at all.
Keep it concise. Odds are if it’s a hot-button issue I’ve heard about it a hundred times already that day. No offense, but your opinion doesn’t hold more clout than your neighbors down the street.
Keep it focused. Only one opinion can be entered into the database at a time. Entering opinions is a fairly arduous task so calling multiple times throughout the day is your best bet.
Frequency is more important than length. Three two-minute calls carry much more weight than one phone call lasting a half hour. Again, it’s all about volume. The staffers will alert the congressperson when enough people comment on an issue, not when one person spends an hour on the phone.
Contact your congressperson. If a representative outside your district sits on a committee that’s voting on something important to you, it’s worth calling. Those opinions are still noted. However, a constituent’s opinion carries much more weight than one coming from outside the Representatives district.
Sure, there are plenty of people in Washington out solely for themselves. But there are genuinely good people who fill some seats in Congress. They want to do the right thing and they care about what weighs on the minds of their constituents. However, it’s foolish to think that you have a direct line to their ear.
Your opinion can be heard. You just have to ensure you’re doing it effectively.
Will Tighe is a contributing writer for the Bona Venture. His email is tighewp14@bonaventure.edu
