Influencing your Congressmen
A snippet from the Churches for Middle
East Peace Website's page on Advocacy Tools:
"When asked, most Congressional staff say that constituent
visits to the Washington office (97%) and to the district or state
offices (94%) have “some” or “a lot” of influence on an undecided member
of Congress, more than any other influence group or strategy. ("Communicating
with Congress: Perceptions of Citizen Advocacy on Capitol Hill" from
the Congressional Management Foundation)
In-person meetings with your members of Congress and their
staff are the single most influential form of grassroots advocacy,
especially if it is part of a long-term effort to cultivate a
relationship with your elected officials. The great news is that you
don’t have to travel to Washington to meet with your member
face-to-face. Members of Congress spend several weeks a year in their
home districts to be accessible to their constituents. Don’t pass up the
next opportunity to meet with your representative and senators to
advocate for peace!"
Also see the CMEP's "What You Can Do"
flier.
Also see Maryknoll's
flier
Also see the comprehensive "Communicating with Congress:
Recommendations for Improving the Democratic Dialog"
report
by the
Congressional Management Foundation
and "Communicating with Congress: How the Internet has Changed
Citizen Engagement"
report.
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