Why you want to know your politicians
Let’s say there’s a new policy being proposed in your state, and through your research, you can’t find anyone talking about how it will impact your business, and the new policy stands to kill your business, and even hurt your competitors, so you feel compelled to reach out to the necessary politicians to tell your side – maybe they haven’t considered how it would impact your industry.
So you begin to search. You Google “my state representative,” and after wading through websites of candidates that lost and eventually finding your rep, you pen a letter and start the process all over again to connect with the Governor, the Attorney General, heck, maybe even the President. It takes a lot of effort to get someone to listen.
So, Map Your Representative has launched to put all of this process in one spot, down to your local representatives. Enter your zip code, and select from national representatives, state, county, city, or local, which populates the list of who represents you based on your address.
Then, select the individual you’d like to reach out to, and Map Your Representative offers not only their phone number, mailing address, but their website and their Twitter feed. There is quite a bit of emphasis on the politicians’ Twitter feeds, with what appears to be an unspoken implication that it may be a faster way to get the attention of each representative.
What to say when reaching out
When attempting to reach a politician, no matter the method, be as concise as possible, include anecdotes or evidence supporting your argument, and be polite. Insulting officials (“why don’t you do your job?”) or being too wordy is a sure way to be lower on the priority scale.
Also, remember that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, so keep at it. Don’t be repetitive, but continue to reach out, even when you get an unfavorable response. Don’t beg, but point out what they may not have thought about or known, and what you’re willing to do to help or get involved. Don’t forget to include your contact information.
Good luck, and may Map Your Representatives cut your research time down to size!
