Send One Email
So the thought of calling your representatives gives you heart palpitations? No pressure. An elegantly designed online tool called Democracy.io makes it easy to email your electeds on a regular basis so you can (politely) give them a piece of your mind or just keep the heat on. Or just to say thanks
Like the 5Calls tool, you just plug your zip code into Democracy.io and the tool automatically identifies all three of your legislators and then connects you to an email form that gets sent directly to them. Or you can write to each one individually. Whatever works for you. The tool doesn’t provide sample scripts, but this isn’t a writing quiz. Just say what’s important to you in a few sentences. If you need help, borrow some inspiration from the scripts on 5Calls. Remember, sharing a personal story resonates more than a simple form letter so don’t be shy. And electeds often use these anecdotes in their speeches and other communications.
The tool was designed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation with the express purpose of giving ordinary citizens easy access to their elected officials. To make it really easy, set up a calendar reminder on your phone and include the Democracy.io link so you can email right from there.
If for some reason you have trouble with or don’t like the tool, you can always reach out to your legislators on your own via the contact forms on their Congressional websites: Find your U.S. Representative here, and your U.S. Senators here. Search by zip code or by state. The point is, find them — and send them a message. And then invite your friends and fellow skeptics to do the same. As the organizers at Swing Left note, “Even in the best of times, civic engagement at a massive scale is necessary to ensure a government that reflects the will of the people.”
You don’t have to limit yourself to writing to your Senators and Representative. Grassroots group Indivisible, for example, has organized a campaign to write to the Supreme Court Public Information Office to encourage the Court to revoke Donald Trump’s immunity status. Or write to the chairs of the Senate committees about an issue that’s important to you.