Capitol dome in Charleston, WV

West Virginia Legislative Process

Working With Your Legislators and Other Elected Officials

Jan Lilly-Stewart, Advocacy Specialist, West Virginia Developmental Disabilities Planning Council

Building relationships with elected officials is an ongoing process. Get to know them before a crisis arises in which you may need their help.
To achieve name and face recognition, you will have to make regular contacts.
Congratulate them after their election or reelection by letter and/or a visit.
Don't call, write, or visit only when you need something. As often as possible, call just to say hello, thanks, or to update them with good news.
Visit your legislators when they are at home.
Get involved in the political process. Work on campaigns of legislators that share your views.
Learn how to track bills, budgets, and committee, proceedings.
Invite legislators to your home for coffee or breakfast.

Make social contact at events like dinners, plays, sporting events, and concerts.
Attend meetings held by your legislators, or meetings where they will speak, and address questions to them.
Invite your legislators to speak to your group or organization on an issue of value to you.
Host an event like a picnic, party, or a breakfast where your community can meet legislator face-to-face.
Present an award to your legislator for some deserved services.

Schedule appointments in advance, state the topic in advance to the appointment secretary. Be sure they know you are a constituent. Confirm your appointment a day or two before your visit.
Set your goals. Limit the number of issues to be discussed.
Plan. If you go in a group considering taking no more than five other people with you. Structure your agenda. If you go with a group choose one person to be the spokesperson. Try to have someone in your group that lives in the legislators district.
Be brief. Practice your message so you can present the basics in one to three minutes. Cover your topic in five minutes, ten minutes tops.
Decide which facts, data, and/or statistics to use to make your points.
Prepare written materials to leave with your legislator.
Anticipate questions and have the answers ready.
Never give a legislator bad information. If you do not know the answer to a question, tell her/him you will get that information for them. Tell them you will get back to her/him at a specific time.
If you need to get information to a legislator do it in a timely manner. Always follow through and follow-up.

Be on time! Be Positive!
If a legislator doesn't agree with your positions always be gracious, today's opposition may be tomorrow's friend.
Always introduce yourself. If you go in a group make sure everyone is introduced.
Make sure you leave information on how to be reached in case the legislator or her/his staff have questions.

Be discreet in the halls, avoid gossip, and debrief in privacy.
Send a thank-you letter. Timing is important remember to send the thank-you within a week after your visit.
Don't give up the first time, it may take several sessions to educate officials to your point of view.

When writing, include your return address on the letter.
Use your own words.
Write to say you approve, not just to complain.
When writing your legislator, always address him or her as 'The Honorable'
When writing, timing is important. Write shortly before or at the time the subject is being discussed or the decision is to be made. If you write too soon you may not capture the attention of the legislator. If your write too late, the decision may have already been made. Prepare the letter early and be ready to send it at the right time.
Telephone calls do not substitute for face-to-face visits. They can be used if a rapport has already been established with the legislator or if an issue is contested and you are part of a group trying to convey a broad community support for a position.
Remember however, if you can not make visits to your legislator or other elected officials, please write to them about your opinions and telephone them to let them know how you feel about an issue.

Contributing Resource: NCIL/ILRU National Training & Technical Assistance Project: The Ins & Outs Of Working With Elected Representatives

We have also provided this resource in printable PDF format in two pages, page one and page two.