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How to Write a Letter to Your Legislator

The American Library Association gives the following advice on writing to your legislator: Where possible, use your official letterhead. If this is not appropriate, and you write as an individual, use plain white bond paper, and give your official title following your signature as a means of identification and to indicate your competency to speak on the subject. "Sincerely yours" is in good taste as a complimentary close. Remember to sign your given name and surname. If you use a title in your signature, be sure to enclose it in parentheses.

DO's

• Your legislators like to hear opinions from home and want to be kept informed of conditions in the district. Base your letter on your own experiences and observations.
• If writing about a specific bill, describe it by number or its popular name. Your legislators have thousands of bills before them in the course of a year, and cannot always take time to figure out which one you are referring to. # They appreciate intelligent, well-thought-out letters that present a definite position.
• Even more important and valuable to them is a concrete statement of the reasons for your position--particularly if you are writing about a field in which you have specialized knowledge. Representatives have to vote on many matters with which they have had little or no first-hand experience. Some of the most valuable information they receive comes from facts presented in letters from people who have knowledge in the field.
• Short letters are almost always best. Members of Congress receive many letters each day, and a long one may not get as prompt a reading as a brief statement.
• Letters should be timed to arrive while the issue is alive. Members of the committee considering the bill will appreciate having your views while the bill is ripe for study and action.
• Remember to follow through with a thank-you letter.

DONT'S

• Letters that demand votes for or against a certain bill without giving any reasoning are not very influential.
• Threats of defeat at the next election are not effective.
• Boasts of how influential the writer is are not helpful.
• Do not ask for a vote commitment on a particular bill before the committee in charge of the subject has had a chance to hear the evidence and make its report.
• Form letters or letters that include excerpts from other letters on the same subject are not as influential as a simple letter drawing on your own experience.
• Congressional courtesy requires legislators to refer letters from non-constituents to the proper offices, so you should generally confine your letter-writing to members of your state's delegation or members of the committee specifically considering a bill.
• Do not engage in letter writing overkill. Quality, not quantity, is what counts.

Address the letter or card correctly

Send it to:

The Honorable "Joe Smith"
Ohio House of Representatives
77 South High Street Columbus,
Ohio 43266-0603

Or;
The Honorable "Joe Smith"
The Ohio Senate Statehouse
Columbus, Ohio 43215

Effective Letter Writing Techniques

• Writing a letter is more effective than making a phone call. Positions can be explained in greater detail. There is also a greater chance that the legislator will see it. Officials do read representative parts of their mail and often answer letters; they rarely answer their own office phones.
• Make sure to address the elected official and your correspondence correctly. All members of Congress and the Ohio General Assembly, as well as the Governor, may be addressed as "The Honorable First Name, Last Name," followed by their address. Senators, both state and U.S., are addressed as "Dear Senator Last Name." Representatives, both state and U.S., are addressed as "Dear Representative Last Name."
• When writing about a particular bill, include the bill number and the title as well as a one-phrase description of the bill's purpose.
• State who are and where you live in the first paragraph so it is clear that you are a constituent. Make sure that you state that you are a member of NAMI and list any other affiliation that would give additional weight to your view (member of your ADAMH/CMH Board or an agency board; mental health professional; local official; etc.
• This helps establish your credibility on the issue that you are writing about.
• Tie the issue to the larger needs of the community. Make sure you explain the long-term benefits to the entire district. As an example, you could supply your legislator with statistics that address the prevalence of untreated mental health issues in the populations and suggest that cutting treatment options would hurt the larger community as access is limited.
• Ask for a response letter with the legislator's position on this particular bill or issue.
• Include your name, street address, e-mail address and phone number with area code.
• Double-check the spelling of the legislator's name.

Keep letters brief and to the point. Try to cover only one subject. Send a typed or legible, handwritten letter on your own stationery. Legislators recognize form or copied letters and don't pay much attention to them. Use letterhead if your position or affiliation lends credibility to your message. Always sign your name in ink. Mention any personal relationships, history of support, or connection to the legislator beyond being a constituent. Grammar, form, and spelling aren't as important as legibility.

Write in time to register your opinion before action is taken. Refer to the bill by number and describe it briefly. Explain how you feel about it and tell your legislator whether you want him to vote for it, against it, or work on an amendment. Include pertinent editorials from your local paper supporting your position.

If you have specialized knowledge, share it with the legislator. He/she will appreciate expert information passed on to them regarding an issue that they may not have dealt with before. Be constructive by telling how a bill can be improved rather than merely criticizing; and if a legislator does vote your way, write and say "thanks" or "well done."

Be modest and do not pretend to have vast influence. However, identify yourself as a NAMI member so you can show a broader support for your position. Definitely refrain from threatening or intimidating remarks. Do avoid antagonizing; tell why you disagree, refraining from outright or veiled hints that you may vote against them.

Ask for a Response

• How will he/she vote on this issue?
• How does he/she feel about this issue?
• What information does he/she have about this issue?
• Is there something you can do to help the legislator understand the issue better? (e.g., make a contact, arrange a visit to your mental health center or affiliate meeting, get specific information or a position paper)
• Why did he/she not support a given issue when the vote was taken?

A postcard saying, "I hope you will be able to support HB 33, Mental Health Parity" is better than no correspondence at all. Remember to write your legislator when he/she does something right as well as when he/she does something you don't like. Send a copy of your letter and, later, the response to the NAMI Ohio offices.