The basics of calling your representative or senator are the same, whether it’s calling a representative who serves you in Olympia or in Washington DC.
Step 1: Know who you want to call
If you are calling about state policy, you are looking for your state represenatives (there are two per district) or state senator in Olympia (there is one per district). Use this tool to find out who they are if you don’t know.
If you are calling about a federal issue, you want to call your federal representative (there is one per district) and senators (there are two per state). Here in Washington’s CD-8, these folks are listed on our resources page or for other districts, you can look up your representative at this website.
How do I know whether to call my senator or representative?
If you are calling for personalized help with a federal issue (such as problems accessing a federal benefit such as veterans, social security, passport, etc), you should call your representative’s office. Here in Washington’s CD-8, that is Kim Schrier’s office. You should call the office location closest to your home, where it would be convenient to meet with an assistant and bring your paperwork, if that becomes necessary.
If you are calling about specific legislation, call the elected official in the house where the bill is being debated. If the bill is in the House of Representatives, call your representative. If it’s in the Senate, call your senator. Some issues, such as confirming judges, are only handled by senators.
If you are calling about a general issue or a policy that is not about a particular bill that has been introduced, you can go ahead and call all of your senators and representatives.
Step 2: Know what you want to say
Make it easy on the staffer who will be answering your call. Start by identifying yourself and where you’re from, then what your ask is.
A sample first sentence would be, “Hello, my name is Sidney Citizen and I’m a constituent calling from Issaquah zipcode 98027. I want [elected official’s name] to know that I strongly support/oppose [bill number] about [issue]. I want to [thank the elected official for their position on this issue] [ask the official to vote a certain way or make a certain statement about the issue].”
Follow-on sentences might be about how the issue affects you and your family more personally. The person answering the phone is mostly just “counting”– how many calls for, how many calls against– but your personal story can make your call stand out in their memory.
If you want a response back with what the official did in response to your call, you need to ask for it specifically.
Step 3: Thank the staffer and go on about your day
After you’ve said what you need to say, thank the staffer for their time and hang up.
