How to Call Your Elected Official

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

Calling Your Elected Official

A personal conversation with your elected official can make a better, stronger impression than an email.

Here is what to do:

Look up or confirm contact information for your state lawmaker:
1. Go to https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials/
2. Enter your residential address and click “Find my elected officials.”
3. In the gray bar for state officials, click the + sign at the right.
4. Toward the bottom of the blue list of state elected officials, you will find your State Senator and State Representative.
5. Click the + sign next to their names.
6. Click the “Website” link for contact details.
7. Use the contact information for the district office.
Review the suggested TALKING POINTS TBD, and keep them handy.
Call. Introduce yourself, make clear that you are a constituent, and say where you are from. Ask to speak briefly about better passenger train service for your state.
If you are not already speaking with your elected official, politely ask to. If another time is offered, try to make that work.
If you are speaking with a staffer who offers to take a message, that is OK. Staff play an important role and deserve respect, so be polite and engage with them too.
If you leave a voicemail, don’t try to cover the talking points. Keep it brief. Ask for a callback and include your contact information.
During or right after the meeting, write down a few notes about how it went and what they said. Are they supportive? What did they ask about? Did they ask questions you couldn’t answer, or did they want more information?
Let us know how it went! Share your notes and impressions with the High Speed Rail Alliance. Email [email protected].