How to Contact Your US Federal Representatives Online
(For U.S. citizens and residents)
What to do
To Contact Your U.S. Senators via the Web:
- Visit the Senate homepage.
- Choose your state in box labeled Find Your Senators in the upper right hand corner.
- The information for your senators will come up. Under the name of the senator you wish to contact, click on the link next to Web Form.
- You will be taken to the online Web form for your senator. Fill it out and then submit your message.
To Contact Your Representative in the U.S. House via the Web:
- Visit the House of Representatives ‘Write Your Representative’ page.
- Select your state from the drop down box, enter your ZIP code, and then click the Contact My Representative button.
- Because not all members of Congress are signed up to the ‘Write Your Representative’ service, you may be asked to provide additional information or you may be given a link to your representative’s Web page. Follow the information as presented.
A little more
In theory, the Internet has made it easier than ever to stay in touch with your Representatives in Congress–but in practice, it can take some digging to figure out how to contact them. Senators are generally easier to contact, as in some cases you may have to wade through a few Web pages to figure out who your congressman or congresswoman is. But making the effort can be worth it: politicians pay close attention to their constituents’ opinions. Given that security measures enacted after the anthrax attacks on Congress in the fall of 2001 have delayed mail delivery to members of Congress, it is a good idea to use electronic means to have your voice heard. (Incidentally, if you don’t live in a congressional district, it is likely that your email will be disregarded or even deleted.)
To stay informed about Congress and how candidates stand on the issues, use Project Vote Smart, a nonpartisan Web site. For political odds-making, visit Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball, run by an expert from the University of Virginia. About.com offers a useful guide on how to write an effective letter to congressmen and senators. The best adivce, though, is to never send “cookie-cutter” emails; those are given little weight by congressional offices.
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