Meeting with your Representative:

Requesting a Meeting

Before you arrange for a meeting, send a letter, or call your members of Congress, prepare to talk about your issue. You can always look at the issues section of our webpage for the latest update on an issue or simply for background information. If you have a good command of your subject, it will be easier to engage the attention of the people you are talking to. If you're calling to set up an appointment, they may ask you questions about your issue so that they can begin to prepare for the meeting.

It is always best to set up a date and time for a meeting with a congressional office. Although a congressperson will sometimes meet with a constituent or group from the district with less advance notice, to get a meeting with your member of Congress you should start arranging that meeting at least 6-8 weeks before you plan to visit.

If you are setting up a meeting with less advance notice, you will usually meet with a congressional staffer - the person who is responsible for tracking a specific issue and advising the congressperson on how to vote. These meetings can be almost as valuable as meeting with the member of Congress, and should not be dismissed as second best. In the majority of cases, the staffer's opinion will be the position taken by the member of Congress.

You may contact either the local or the DC office and request a meeting. When you initiate your phone call, always indicate that you are a constituent, and that you are interested in discussing how you are being represented. Explain what you would like to discuss and let them decide who it would be best for you to meet with.

Phone numbers for congressional offices may be found at www.senate.gov or www.house.gov or you may call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your representative or senator.

If you are unable to set up a meeting ahead of time you may stop by the office and ask for "just a moment of the foreign policy aide's time." If you are from the district, be sure to let them know. If the aide is not available, offer to leave behind some note or supporting information for why you came to visit. It is always a good idea to follow up with a phone call or email.

Ask yourself, "What is my goal?" Are you urging the congressperson or senator to vote a certain way? If so, are you looking for their support on an issue, or on a specific vote on a specific piece of legislation? Does this member already support our initiatives, and if so are you just thanking them, or asking them for specific forms of future leadership?

Find something to thank them for. If they've voted right in the past, make sure to mention that (it is a good idea to know your member's voting record on the issue before you go into the meeting). Doing your research here will make the conversation more comfortable, and in the case that you're trying to convince the office to agree with your position, thanking them for a past action will make them feel like you do share common ground.

Bring supporting information. You don't want to inundate a staffer with information, but it's a good idea to bring either printed information on who you are (especially if you are from their district), or printed information on your position. Brochures and pamphlets are the best ideas. If a staffer seems interested, ask them if they need more information and offer to send it.

Write out talking points. Talking points are the key reasons and supporting evidence for why you believe in a policy. They should be concise! Not more than a few sentences per point. You can use these points as a reference for yourself, and even leave them behind for the aide if they seem very interested in what you've pointed out.