Stop Calling Members of Congress Who Are Not Yours
Calling your elected federal, state, or local officials is a quick and effective way to advocate for the interests you care about. But you do not need (and should not) contact members of Congress – be they senators or representatives of the House of Representatives – who do not really represent you.
When it comes to high-profile national issues (such as nominations for the Supreme Court), there are often a handful of legislators who are initially undecided about the elections or are considered swap votes. Since the votes of these IOCs (members of Congress) can be influenced by public opinion, you will often see social media campaigns urging everyone to call their offices to share said views.
Unfortunately, while it can make you feel better, it is most likely counterproductive when it comes to advocating for the position you are calling about. As Indivisible points out , MCs represent the interests of their constituents – the people who actually elected them – and are far less concerned with what those outside their constituency or state think.
In addition, if thousands of people from all over the country call a single senator, clog telephone lines, and fill up voicemail boxes, voters in that state may not be able to get through. It is also possible that the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications can use these calls to justify voting in the opposite way – in fact, dismissing these fears as purely out-of-circuit problems.
According to Indivisible, there are no exceptions to this rule, even if DOA holds a leadership position, sits on a specific committee, or represents another district in your state.
All of this does not mean that you cannot make your voice heard. Here’s what you can do:
- Call your own representatives . Even if your MoC has a publicly stated position that you agree with, you can and should contact it with your support. Email works too.
- Support advocacy groups that lobby for specific issues . As an individual, you have little influence over other IOs, but larger organizations act as a collective voice. They may also have certain actions that you can take or campaigns that you can join.
- Coordinate calls . You can get a group together to flood your Ministry of Communications office on a specific day with calls on a specific issue – or you can help coordinate the actions of people who live in another area or state where the swing vote is being held. Indivisible offers suggestions for coordinating calls in its advocacy guide .
If you are not sure who represents you, go to 5Calls.org and enter your location information. You can also use this tool to select a popular question and find out which Ministry of Communications is the best contact for you (for example, some questions are relevant only in the Senate). The site has contact information and a script that can be used when making a call.