Lobbying workshop
Workshops explaining how to lobby and influence elected officials on any issue can be held at a DM meeting or at a DM-sponsored event. In-person lobbying; phoning; petitions; letters and social media are all effective influencers.
In-person Lobbying
Meeting in person with members of Congress, state legislators or local officials is the single most effective way thank them for their support or to change their point of view.
Call their office, ask for the scheduler, make an in-person appointment for a group of between 3 and 6 students.
Planning - Plan how the meeting will run and decide who will speak on which topic.Agree on what to tell legislators, what to ask them, and what actions you want them to take.
The facilitator - Designate someone from your group to facilitate the meeting.
Introductions - Students introduce themselves, adding one sentence each about why they are here and why they care.
Don't be disappointed if your appointment is with a staff person.
Present a clear and concise message/include facts.
Make it personal - Don’t be afraid to be passionate!!
Present a clear and concise message/include facts.
Be prepared for questions. If you don’t know an answer, say so and tell them you will research and get back to them.
Don’t allow your legislator to evade discussing your issue. It’s your meeting!
Thank them for meeting and then follow up with a letter restating your positions.
Bird-Dogging Candidates or Elected Officials
Bird-dogging is the art of getting candidates or elected politicians to publicly answer your questions in person.
Bird-dogging questions can force them to state a clear policy position or whether they will pledge to vote for or against a specific issue or bill.
Campaign events or public town hall meetings or anywhere else they appear are perfect venues for bird-dogging.
Bring a friend - the more people bird-dogging, the more likely a question is going to be answered.
Plan ahead the question(s) you will ask - wording may be important. Be polite.
If possible, record the question and response on a cell phone.
Phone Banking and Canvassing
Candidates and elected officials tally the numebr of phone calls they receive in support of or against a policy or bill.
Phoning elected officials or campaign offices with a short, clear message puts pressure on them.
Table with telephone numbers and short script for students to call their representatives.
Mobilize a phone bank at a DM meeting, where everyone spends 10 minutes calling representatives’ or candidates’ offices.
Organize a phone bank in a room on campus where students can gather (or stop by) for an hour to make calls.
Leaving messages with a staff person or on an answer machine still gets counted!
Table or canvass with petitions for students to sign, asking legislators for support and/or action on an issue.
To the legislator, write one or two sentences thanking them for or demanding their support on an important issue that students care about.
Ask students to sign with their names and their email (collect their emails for DM outreach).
Send to legislators with a cover letter explaining the issue and Democracy Matters.
Ask for a written reply by providing a return address.
Letters, faxes, and social media
Elected officials and candidates respond to pressure from voters who contact them with personal letters, tweets, or comment on them on social media.
Tabling - Provide paper and pens, for a letter-writing campaign to candidates and elected officials. Or ask students to sign postcards or pre-written short letters to thanking candidates or demanding their support for an issue.
DM meeting - Providing paper and pens, ask DM members to write personal letters to candidates or officials on an issue they care about.
Collect the letters and postcards and mail them with a cover letter about Democracy Matters and the issue to the candidates and officials.
As for a written reply to a Democracy Matters address.
