CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATOR
You can find your legislator by visiting http://mdelect.net/. There are several ways to share your opinion with your elected officials:
Writing Letters
- Your letter should address a single topic or issue. Typed, one-page letters are best.
- The best letters are courteous, to the point, and include specific supporting examples.
- Say why you are writing and who you are. (If you want a response, you must include your name and address, even when using email.)
- Provide more detail. Be factual not emotional. Provide specific rather than general information about how the topic affects you and others. If a certain bill is involved, cite the correct title or number whenever possible.
- Close by requesting the action you want taken: a vote for or against a bill, or change in general policy.
- ALWAYS THANK HIM OR HER FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THE LETTER.
Calling
- If you decide to call your representative, use the format of the letter, but focus on 2-3 main talking points.
- Don’t forget to state what action you want the legislator to take.
- Be prepared. It is helpful to write a “script” for yourself
- Keep it brief (3-5 minutes). Whomever you are speaking with will remember more if you are concise.
Visiting
Prior to Your Visit
- Plan your visit carefully
- Be clear about what you want to achieve
- Determine in advance with which member or staff person you need to meet to achieve this purpose
- Make an Appointment
- When attempting to meet with a legislator, call his or her staff (usually an Appointment Secretary or Scheduler ) at least one week in advance.
- Explain who you are and why you want to meet with the legislator.
- If you were not able to make an appointment, ask to speak to the delegate or senator when you arrive. If the legislator is not available, ask to speak to his or her aide.
During your Visit
- Be prompt and patient
- Be on time, but be prepared to wait
- It is not uncommon for a legislator to be late or for the meeting to be interrupted.
- Be flexible, you may have to finish the meeting with a staff person.
- Keep your visit short
- 15 minutes should be considered your maximum amount of time.
- You must be able to get your points across early in the meeting
- Introduce yourself, tell your story, and tell the legislator what action you want him or her to take.
- During your Visit (cont.)
- Be prepared and organized
- Keep the meeting focused
- Bring information and supporting materials to the meeting
- Have a position statement or fact sheet prepared to leave with your legislator
- Be political
- Wherever possible, show the connection between what you are requesting and the interests of the legislator’s constituency.
- Don’t be awed or intimidated
- You have something they want too – your vote!
- Be Responsive
- Be prepared to answer questions or provide additional information
- Let the legislator know how you will follow up with the meeting – letter, phone call, additional meeting, etc.
- Request a business card
- Thank him or her for taking the time to meet with you.
After Your Visit
- Write a thank you letter that outlines the different points raised during the meeting. Repeat the action you want him or her to take.
- Send the letter that day! (Or, at the most, within 3 days of the meeting.
Testifying at a Bill Hearing
In many cases, public testimony is permitted during legislative hearings. If you are planning to go to Annapolis and testify at a bill hearing, here are some tips to keep in mind:
- When writing testimony, adhere to the guidelines for writing letters (below)
- Always make copies of your presentation. There are different copy requirements for different committees. Click here to download a PDF version of the rule for each committee.
- Dress accordingly – Business attire is most appropriate.
- Arrive early. In most cases, you must sign in 1-2 hours in advance of the Hearing in order to testify. Copies of testimony must be handed in at the time of sign-in.
- Turn cell phones and pagers off and limit the number of times you must get up.
- Be prepared to sit! Although you might expect a particular topic to be first, at the last minute it may be pushed to the middle or end of the agenda.
- During the hearing, do not engage in conversation. This may annoy not only members of the Committee, but other audience members as well.
- When testifying, keep to the allotted time – in many cases, it’s three (3) minutes. This is very important, as representatives have a tendency to become irritated if you do not adhere to time allocations.
- Address the Committee Chairperson and Committee Members, for example, “Good Afternoon Madame Chairperson and Members of the Committee. My name is ________ and I am here today to testify in support of/against _____.”
- When presenting information other than your personal story, be sure the information or opinions you are expressing are supported with data. Cite statistics whenever possible to support your conclusion.
- Remember, in most cases, you are not permitted to ask questions of the Committee members; however, be prepared to answer any questions they may have. If you don’t know the answer, say so and commit to getting the information to them at a later date and make sure you follow up.
- ALWAYS THANK THE COMMITTEE FOR THEIR TIME.
