There was
this article on WaPo today that I found interesting by Jeffrey Birnbaum on the overflow of e-mail reaching poor, harassed staffers:
Unfortunately, a lot of the e-mails are barely worth reading -- or at least that's what the people who handle them believe. Interest groups generate most of the incoming e-mails and a numbing percentage of those are form letters. Half of the aides surveyed are convinced that constituents aren't even aware that they've sent such identical-form communications, and another 25 percent of staffers question whether those communications are legitimate at all.
Almost all of the congressional aides surveyed said that they'd like to find a way to differentiate between interest-group e-mails and the rare, more prized missives that individuals actually write themselves.
Now, I actually have some background dealing with the glut of missives that reaches high-profile offices, or just offices in general. And I've also done advocacy. And I thought I'd try and give some few pointers as to how to get through the system.
Read on...
First off, form letters and petitions are crap, as the articles correctly note. Now, there's always going to be an example of some Congress-person using the number of petition signatures she/he used in the mail as an example for why they are supporting/opposing a particular piece of legislation, but only as a way of validating a position they already held. It doesn't influence anything.
In fact, when it is discovered that a form letter has started to arrive, readers will be instructed to tally the letter as quickly as possible than dispose of it without reading to save precious time, so if you've written your own thing at the bottom, sorry, but you haven't helped your case. Especially easy are online petitions and form letters, where you can get the computer to search them, tally them, and delete them for you without ever having to read one. Keep that in mind next time you think you're saving with the world with that online Moveon.org postcard.
If you want to express the sentiment that a form letter is asking you to express, rephrase it in your own words. You can use the same facts, even some of the same key talking points. Staffers know that the public learns those talking points by heart, and it can be helpful to see which ones are the most effective and are permeating public thought. But write it yourself, preferably directly through your Congressman's web page. (to find go to The House of Representatives or The Senate) It also helps if your letter does not have the name of any outside interest group located anywhere on the packaging or contents of your letter. Interest groups lobby Congress directly, and indicating that you are in their pocket will make all of your personal thoughts suspect to said staffer. Sorry if that means paying for you own postage. (Note, try faxing it, much faster than Congress mail-rooms).
Only write your OWN Congressman. I cannot stress that enough. Writing to other's districts just because they happen to be "swing" or the head of a particular committee doesn't really help because there's not much that can be done for you if you're not their constituent. Congressmen are there to help their constituents out, and they honestly do try to, but the excess of mail makes that task harder. Out of district missives are like a large vat of white noise making it nigh impossible to hear the voices you actually need to hear. This goes for everyone who e-mailed Warner from outside Virginia during the filibuster fiasco. It's not appreciated, and a barrage of outside mail convinces the Rep. that there is an outside force besides the views of the constituent running the show.
Spell correctly, use proper grammar, punctuate, and do NOT use capital letters. This should be self-evident, but you'd be surprised. If it sounds or looks like a crazy rant, it'll be treated in-kind.
Include as much personal information as possible. The more the staffer knows you're real and has access to you, the more they'll treat your request seriously. An LA will KNOW all of the talking points and statistical arguments for whatever cause you are writing about. Write how it affects YOU as a constituent. That's the side of the story they can only get from your letter. Instead of "higher education is important because of a,b, and c" say "when I was in college and funding was pulled they stopped funding the women's lacrosse team which means I lost my scholarship..." or, "I don't have healthcare" as opposed to "Support healthcare funding". Focus on the local. Remember, its the congressman's job to look after their district and its interests.
Moreover, remember that an actual person will try and read your letter, and that person is just as real and sensible as someone you would have a face to face conversation with. I can't tell you how many e-mails busy offices receive that obviously wouldn't have been sent if e-mail didn't make it easy to send off an angry rant that you would never send in the mail or say to an actual person. If you wouldn't send it through the mail, don't e-mail it. It undermines your point and might flag you for future corrospondence.
If you must petition, do a real signature petition. An online petition's only value would be....god, I can't even think of a single valuable thing that can come out of an online petition....wait, I suppose they could add the e-mail addresses to their mailing list, but they usually don't because the vast majority of the addresses are fake. Include addresses, phone, and e-mail of all petition signatures. Someone who doesn't include that basic information is not going to be counted in the tally count.
So there you have it. There's a Supreme Court battle coming up. I'm sure it's going to generate a lot of mail, but if you keep this in mind, you might be able to get about the Staff Assitant or Legislative Corrospondent who answers your letter into the few that make it up to the Legislative Aide. And that is considered a Congressional mailing success.