Tips for Contacting Your Legislator by Phone

Phone calls to a legislative office are a great option when you don’t have time to write a letter to the legislator or visit his or her office.

Making The Call

You are most likely to speak with office staff rather than the legislator. You can expect staff to record your call on paper, take your name and address to verify your residence in the district and give a summary of your call to the appropriate staff person and/or the legislator.

If you ask for information about the legislator's position, you might be transferred to the staff person in charge of the issue who would be able to discuss in more detail the legislator's position and the current status of pending legislation. Or, you might receive a letter in the mail or a return call rather than being told the legislator’s position when you call.

Cover one subject per call. Different staffers may handle different issues for the legislator.

Make sure the staff person who speaks with you knows you live in the legislator's district. Be sure to provide the staff member with your name and address for follow-up.

Find your legislator's phone number by going to the Pride Agenda's Legislative Action Center at www.prideagenda.org. You can also call your State Senator in Albany through the Senate switchboard at 518-455-2800, and your Assemblymember through the Assembly switchboard at 518-455-4100.

Selling Your Position

It is best to be concise in your conversation.

Get information on your issue from the Pride Agenda website at www.prideagenda.org so you can make a strong case for the legislator doing what you want. Be prepared to state your position and what you want the legislator to do, and be ready to back up your position with one or two supporting arguments.

Nothing is better than a personal story about how the issue affects you and your family and why it is important to you.

Sample Generic Phone Script

"Hello, my name is [say your full name] and I live at [give your home address including city, town or village]. I am a constituent and I am calling to urge the Senator / Assemblymember to [what you want them to do or how you want them to vote on a particular issue]. This issue is important to me because [Give a sentence or two about how this issue impacts your life, such as: "I have been in a loving relationship with my partner for eight years, and we are hurt because we cannot marry and get the support from our government that all other families get," or "I am concerned about the safety of my child and want the government to make sure schools are harassment-free zones,” or “I don’t think the way I expresses my gender should lead to me getting fired or evicted from their home.”]

Do you know what the Senator / Assemblymember's position is on this issue / bill?

I hope he/she will stand in support of / opposition to [the issue or bill you are calling about] and I will be watching throughout the year to see how he / she advocates and votes on it. Thank you."