Lobbying:

The Heart of American Democracy

"Ten people who speak make more noise than ten thousand who are silent." 

Every time another governor issues an executive order to offer domestic partner benefits to state employees, another city council votes to ban discrimination based upon gender identity, or another congressperson agrees to cosponsor a bill, there is an ordinary constituent, perhaps just like you, who can take credit for helping to make it happen.  Change does not occur in a vacuum – only by speaking out for equality do we really begin to see gains for our community.

Lobbying is a powerful mechanism for changing hearts and minds. When peple think of lobbying, they often think it’s done only by "paid experts," or "Beltway insiders."   Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Did you know that every citizen has the right to seek a meeting, or lobby visit, with his or her members of Congress?  In-district (local) lobbying visits are key to HRC's work for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender equality.  Why?  Because issues need advocates! 

Now is an ideal time to visit with your member of Congress -- right in your hometown.  Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned pro, this step-by-step process for scheduling a lobby visit with your member of Congress will give you all the tools you will need to complete your visit successfully.  Get started right away – there’s absolutely no reason to hesitate!  Should you have any questions or concerns at all, just contact a member of HRC's field department. 

This page outlines a step-by-step process for scheduling a lobby visit with your member of Congress and gives you all the tools you will need to complete your visit successfully.

1. What is lobbying and why is it important?
2. Frequently Asked Questions
3. Look up your Elected Officials and how to contact them
4. Print out a meeting request to fax
5. Obtain fact sheets to bring with you
6. Read up on civil marriage
7. How to conduct the visit
8. Sign up for a briefing via conference call
9. Report on your visit
10. Keep on truckin' - lobby state legislators

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1.  What is lobbying and why is it important?

Lobbying is, quite simply, trying to influence those who make policies that affect our lives.  A lobby visit is a personal visit to the office of an elected official to discuss issues or legislation that are important to you as a constituent.  A lobby visit may occur with a congressperson or senator, a state represenative or state senator, a city councilperson, or perhaps someone in the elected official’s office who meets on a regular basis with constituents, such as a district director or legislative aide.  Simply put, a lobby visit is the best way to communicate with your elected officials, and to truly put a face to our issues.

Many people erroneously think they need to be in Washington, D.C. to lobby a congressperson or senator, but this is not so.  All senators and congresspersons have offices inside their home state and districts.  During “recesses,” or breaks in a legislative session, there is a good chance a senator or congressperson will be working in the district office, as opposed to Washington, D.C.  These recesses occur year-round, with an entire month of recess in August.  To view the annual congressional schedule, click here.   Similiarly, state legislators travel back from the state capital on a regular basis to their home district office. 

 

Lobbying by constituents is vitally important to the work that HRC does in Washington, D.C.  Legislators must hear from constituents to reinforce the messages and requests that emanate from organizations that are based in Washington, D.C.   Our team of professional lobbyists can certainly convey the personal voices of voters back home -- but these lobbyists are not constituents.  It is imperative for legislators to hear directly from passionate citizen activists who have sent them to D.C. to represent them.  Yours are the stories that must be heard!

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2.  FAQ

HOW DO I SET UP THE MEETING?

Simply send a meeting request (step 4) to your elected official via fax, wait a day or two, then follow up with your elected official’s office to obtain a meeting time.  Next, research the topic you plan to speak about at the meeting, and show up.  Voila – you’re a citizen lobbying an elected official!

 

WHO DO I ASK FOR WHEN I CALL THE LOCAL OFFICE FOR A VISIT?

It is best to ask for the elected official’s scheduler.  The scheduler handles the calendar and is used to receiving requests for constituent visits.  Once you have identified who the scheduler is, you will then know who is the contact point in the office for your visit.  

 

When you call, explain that you are a constituent who would like to schedule a visit with your elected official on issues of importance (and cite specific legislation), and that you have already submitted a written request via facsimile.  You can suggest a meeting with the elected official when they are next in the local office, which may be the forthcoming congressional recess.  However, make sure to let the scheduler know you can work around the elected official’s schedule if s/he will be present sooner.

 

WHAT IF THE SCHEDULER SUGGESTS A MEETING WITH SOMEONE OTHER THAN MY ELECTED OFFICIAL?

It is possible that the scheduler may tell you that the elected official will not be available locally to meet with constituents for a very long time.  They may suggest that you meet with someone on staff to discuss the issues.  This is perfectly okay - a lobby visit does not have to be with an elected official personally to have a strong impact.  However, if you have previously met with staff and a face-to-face meeting is the next logical step, you may want to gently push for a face-to-face visit with the legislator.  In other words, "I'd prefer to wait so I can meet face-to-face with Rep. Doe, even if it's only for a few minutes."  You may then get a clearer indication of when you could have a face-to-face visit.  If it seems like an impossibility, then by all means, elect to meet with a legislative aide, district director, or someone else who can listen to what you have to say and report back to his/her boss.  Often, the last person the elected official will talk to before voting on an issue is her or his staff member - so don't discount the importance of these meetings.

 

WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?

Dress presentably, in business attire or business casual attire.

 

WHO ELSE SHOULD I BRING TO THE MEETING?

It's always best to go on a lobby visit with other individuals.  The best people to consider include individuals directly affected by the issue at hand - for example, if the issue is the Permanent Partners Immigration Act, a binational couple or a parent whose child left the country to be with a partner would be an excellent messenger for the issue.  You can find these people in your local community - or contact your HRC field organizer.

 

If you are lobbying on the Federal Marriage Amendment (House Joint Resolution 56), and/or marriage equality in general, you may want to invite a couple that has been together for a significant amount of time, a couple with children, or a couple who has been directly affected by not being able to marry (couldn't obtain a second-parent adoption, couldn't take family medical leave, or couldn't obtain a green card for their partner, or has had to pay exorbitant taxes when they inherit from a partner who has died).  In addition, you might want to invite a legal expert or a constitutional scholar to talk about why amending the U.S. Constitution is a bad idea.

 

Finally, it is always a good idea to invite community leaders to accompany you on your visit.  Some of these leaders may help you in actually obtaining a face-to-face meeting and may already have a personal relationship with the elected official.

 

WHAT IF I DID NOT VOTE FOR THE ELECTED OFFICIAL?

Regardless of whether or not you voted for the individual you hope to lobby, they still represent you, and you are still a constituent.  It is probably not a good idea to bring to the table all of your differences politically, but to find common ground on the issues at hand.  If, for instance, you are a Republican who seeks to lobby a Democrat, perhaps you can find someone to lobby with you who is part of a local Democratic organization, like the Stonewall Democrats.  Similarly, if you are a Democrat lobbying a Republican, why not reach out to the local Log Cabin Republican chapter? 

 

If you are not registered to vote, please take a moment to do so immediately!  Click here. 

 

WHAT IF I DON'T HEAR BACK FROM THE OFFICE?

Don't be afraid to be persistent - you have every right to meet with your elected official.  Occasionally a meeting may take a month or two to come to fruition, so be patient.  Stay in touch with the office scheduler, but make sure not to call more than twice a week, lest you be perceived as pesty rather than persistent.  If you run up against a brick wall, then contact HRC field organizers for help.

 

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3.  Find your Elected Officials

Click on the map to look up who represents you

Here, you will find contact information for their local offices.  Make sure to note the address of your congressperson to you can include that information on your meeting request form; the fax number to transmit the meeting request; and the telephone number so you can follow up with the district scheduler.   

For federal officials, note the “cosponsorship” section.  By clicking on that section, you can learn which of the legislation that HRC supports is also supported by your legislator.  You can find more background information on these issues at http://www.hrc.org/issues/index.asp.

And another great way to learn about your congressperson’s record on LGBT issues is to look their voting record up on HRC’s Congressional Scorecard. 

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4.  Meeting Request

Today's Date, 2003

The Honorable John Doe
123 Capitol Square
City, CA  90210

Dear Rep. Doe:

As a constituent, I am writing to request the opportunity to meet with you to discuss a piece of legislation that concerns me greatly – House Joint Resolution 56, the Federal Constitution Marriage Amendment, sponsored by Rep. Marilyn Musgrave of Colorado.  The language of the proposed constitutional amendment states:

 

Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution nor the constitution of any state, nor state or federal law, shall be construed to require that marital status or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups.

 

Amending the Constitution is very rare and is only done to address great public policy need. In our Constitution’s 214 year history, it was first amended to include the Bill of Rights in 1791. Since then, it has only been amended 17 times.

 

Given that this amendment would directly affect my family, I would like to discuss it further with you.  

 

I am available during the next congressional recess, but can work around your schedule.  I will contact your office in a few days to be sure that you have received this request and to discuss the best time for a meeting.   If helpful, I will gladly submit a list of names of others involved in the visit to you before the meeting.  Thank you, in advance, for your time and willingness to communicate with your constituents.

Sincerely,

Name

Address

Phone

 

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5.  Obtain Fact Sheets

Contact HRC field organizers to request copies of fact sheets about marriage equality (or the issue on which you will be lobbying).

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6.  Read up on civil marriage

HRC has done a great deal of work in collaboration with legal groups like Lambda, GLAD, ACLU and Freedom To Marry to offer concise, effective information on the issue of civil marriage for same-sex couples.  We hope you will find the HRC Marriage Equality Center a useful tool to prepare for a lobby visit.

Click here for the HRC Marriage Equality Center

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7.  How to conduct the visit

"The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously." 

-Hubert Humphrey

Lobbying is more simple than you might imagine, but there are certain nuances that will help you to have the most successful and effective meeting possible.  Here are some helpful guidelines: 

1. Do not go in alone.  Rather, find other citizen activists, community leaders, legal experts, etc. to be a part of your group, but limit the group to no more than 4 or 5 people.  If you are unsure of who else to invite on a lobby visit, HRC's field organizers can help you find others in your area to lobby with you.
2. Do your homework.  Find out what issues your representatives or senators care about and list as their priorities.  You can do this by taking a look at their websites, which are available at: http://www.house.gov and http://www.senate.gov.  It never hurts to know what your elected official is focusing on, in case you need an icebreaker.
3. Plan ahead.  Figure out what you want to say and who will say what in advance of the visit.  One person should be the clear facilitator of the visit to make introductions, bring up the topic(s) at hand, and move things along to maximize the time.  After you create an agenda for the meeting in which each person has a speaking part, everyone should create a brief two or three minute talk for their section and practice it with at least one other person. Be brief, clear and to the point and don't be afraid to show your passion.
4. Inspire yourselves.  Prior to the meeting, spend at least a few minutes having each person speak about why he/she cares about this issue and why you are going to this meeting.
5. Start with a thank you.  It is rare that our representatives and senators hear the words “Thank You” from their constituents. Make sure to always thank your elected officials for the supportive actions they have taken.  If they are not an ally of the GLBT community, then just be sure to thank them for taking the time to meet with you.
6. Establish a connection.  Mention a current event you will have a shared interest in, or praise a recent vote they cast you can agree on. 
7. Make the issues real. One of the most powerful ways we can advocate for our issues is to have someone speak who has been directly affected by these issues and can tell their experiences. 
8. Paint the big picture and the small picture. For example, one person could tell their story about how the issue has affected her/him personally (the small picture); then, someone else could flesh out current national statistics and impact (i.e. census data on same-sex couples).
9. Make specific, clear requests and ask for an answer. Often, the main reason groups have unsatisfactory meetings is that their requests were not clear and specific enough. Your members of Congress need to know what you want them to do (what bill you want them to cosponsor, what other Representative or Senator you want them to speak to, how you want them to vote). However, in addition to the specific requests you bring, don't be afraid to ask the senator or representative what else they see they could do on your issue (whether they say yes or no to your original request).
10. Come prepared.  Make sure to bring clear, concise materials with you (such as HRC fact sheets, articles, editorials, or polling information) to leave with your legislator. 
11. Have confidence.  It’s important to speak with passion and conviction, and with the knowledge that your voice is just as important as any other constituent.  Just remember that you you have chosen to become a part of the political process.  That, in itself, makes you an activist. 
12. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know."  During your visit, you may encounter a question that you cannot answer.  Fear not!  It's okay to admit you don't know the answer.  You can simply research the issue or contact an HRC field organizer, then get back to his or her office with the information requested.  In fact, this is an ideal opportunity to make another connection with your legislator and increase communication with the office.  Whatever you do, never pretend you know something if you do not.  Legislators will appreciate your honesty, your willingness to find an answer their questions, and your commitment to the issue at hand.
13. Follow up.  Ms. Manners says “send a thank you note after the visit!”  You can reiterate any commitments that the elected official made in your thank you note, or promise to continue to remain in contact on the issue.

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8.  Sign up for a conference call briefing

HRC holds regular conference call briefings to bring together activists from across the country who are advocating for civil marriage equality.  These conference calls with HRC staff are an excellent time to learn more about the legal and political issues regarding marriage for same-sex couples, the recent decisions in Ontario and British Columbia, Canada and the pending decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

The times for the regularly scheduled calls are:

1. Wednesdays at 12:00 p.m.  Eastern Time
2. Thursdays at 3:00 p.m.  Eastern Time

To sign up for a conference call, e-mail lobbycall@hrc.org. 

Please include your name, address, phone number, the date of your scheduled lobby visit, the name of the elected official you will be lobbying, and the issue on which you will be lobbying.

If neither of these times work for you, e-mail lobbycall@hrc.org and let us know - we will schedule another time that works for you.

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9.  Report on the visit