Contacting your elected representatives

Last week, the legislative session opened in Austin. In Washington, D.C., the new congress took over. So now is the time to start getting engaged and communicating with your elected officials; be it at the federal, state, or local level. Decisions are made by those who show up and there are several ways for you to show up.

Many folks say they are going to call their representatives and that is fine. A phone call or text is easy, informal, and feels more personal; however, rarely do they count as they are seldom logged. Email tends to get noticed a lot faster and every piece of mail gets logged in. Here are the tips for communicating using email or a letter.

Keep it simple – keep it to a maximum of three points, keep it to one page, and keep it neat. The purpose of the letter is to make a point and start a discussion, not present a thesis. You want to grab their attention and get the conversation started.

Personalize the topic – Tell them who you are, give them a reason to understand your position, and present your knowledge or expertise on the subject. State and nationally elected officials get thousands of pieces of correspondence a week and they hear from lots of people with opinions on various subjects, but those with experience and expertise have a better chance of being heard.

Be respectful – the best way to have your letter read and your position considered it to state your issues in a respectful manner. This includes using their elected titles such as Senator Jones, Representative Jones, or Commissioner Jones; not first names or worse yet something like “Hey Idiot.” Failure to be respectful is the easiest way to have your correspondence be considered harassing and sent to the circular file (garbage can).

Include your address in your correspondence – elected officials don’t always respond, but many do, so include your contact information so they can get back with you. Local Officials in a county the size of Milam should be easier to contact and more inclined to respond as opposed to state and federal officials. So, include your contact information so they can get in touch with you.

Respectful correspondence with your elected officials is a part of the political process and necessary for the voters who are at the top of any government’s organizational chart. You can find contact information for all your Milam County elected officials at www.milamcounty.net 

Here is some helpful contact information for the state and national elected officials representing Milam County:

Senator John Cornyn

512 Hart Senate office Building

Washington, DC 20510

202-224-2934

cornyn.senate.gov/contact

Senator Ted Cruz

127A Russell

Washington, DC 20510

202-224-5922

cruz.senate.gov/contact

Representative Pete 

Sessions

2204 Rayburn House Office 

Building

Washington, DC 20515

202-225-6105

Sessions.house.gov/email-us

State Senator Charles Schwertner

P. O. Box 12068

Capitol Station

Austin, TX 78711

512-463-0105

State Representative 

Stan Gerdes

P. O. Box 2910

Austin, TX 78768

512-463-0682