6 minute read
IN YOUR BACKYARD From slactivist to activist: The lowdown on lobbying
from Spring 2020
by foaorg
FROM SLACTIVIST TO ACTIVIST:
THE LOWDOWN ON LOBBYING
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BY FRAN SILVERMAN
In this day and age of 24-7 news, there is an abundance of stories about animal issues, some of which makes us cheer and some of which is infuriating and makes us want to scream. Lots of us vent by taking to social media to post our concerns, disappointments or support. We sign online petitions, donate to animal rights groups (we’re not discouraging that!) and yell at our televisions. And all that can feel very invigorating.
But advocating for animals can also require some additional steps—some of which can seem daunting at the least and overwhelming at most. But they are necessary because petitions don’t mean that much to politicians and social media posts can get lost among the millions each day.
The additional action involves contacting lawmakers and lobbying them to support specific pieces of legislation. This means phone calls, visits to lawmakers’ offices and participation at town halls.
At Friends of Animals (FoA), we do this on a daily basis—from fighting proposed bear hunts to pushing for bans on fur sales. And often even we face barriers in getting through to lawmakers. But it’s effective when we do and worth the effort. And since we do often rely on members for help because legislators want to hear from constituents in their districts, we wanted to share some steps and techniques that work when pushing for passage or defeat of a particular bill.
FIND YOUR REPRESENTATIVE
FoA, headquartered in Darien, Connecticut, advocates for animals on multiple levels, from pushing for pesticide restrictions locally and statewide bans on leghold traps to federal legislation banning trophy imports, and each level of government has different officials to contact and different procedures for approving legislation. But it’s easy to find your elected representative on all levels.
For one-stop-shopping, visit this site: usa.gov/elected-officials/.
More specifically, you can find your federal Congres sional representatives here: govtrack.us/congress/ members; your state government representatives at openstates.org/find_your_legislator/ and your local elected officials here: usa.gov/local-governments.
It’s important to not only contact your representatives when an issue comes up but to also develop a relationship with their staff so that when you do have something to discuss, they’ll be open to your perspective.
STEP 2
RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH
Before contacting a lawmaker, it’s best to familiarize yourself with key components of a particular issue that you need your lawmakers to address. It’s important to research both sides of the issue so you know not only what the pros are of a particular bill, but what the opposition is saying so you can address any counterpoints. FoA keeps its members updated and informed about issues with Action Alerts that provide talking points, news stories posted on its website (friendsofanimals.org) and social media pages as well as in its biweekly newsletter.
You can sign up here to keep abreast of legislation and issues we are working on at FoA: friendsofanimals.org/news-letter-signup/.
ANIMALS CAN’T WRITE OR CALL LEGISLATORS. YOU ARE THEIR VOICE. ELECTED OFFICIALS WORK FOR YOU.
STEP 3
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE
There are several ways to contact your representatives and often it’s a good idea to use a variety of methods.
Representatives offer ways to contact them on their websites. They usually offer an online form or their direct emails. In your message, make sure to discuss a personal reason about why this animal rights issue is important to you so your message stands out from others. It’s vital to request a response. It’s also important to be specific about the name of the legislation and bill number.
You can also mail the representative a letter to their main offices or satellite locations in the regions they represent. It’s often best to send the letter to both their main offices (such as their D.C. offices if they are federal representatives) and their local offices. All those addresses can be found on their websites.
If it’s a timely matter—in other words, the legislation is coming up for a vote that week or day—then call their office. When calling, it’s key to ask to specifically speak to the policy aide in charge of the issue. For example, if it’s about the Endangered Species Act or wild horses, ask which aide is in charge of overseeing that issue and ask to speak to that aide and get their email. Always be polite, and respectful but be firm that you want to speak to the policy adviser and staff and not just leave a message.
SET UP A MEETING
You can also request a meeting with lawmakers and their staff, especially if you feel you aren’t making any progress with letters and phone calls. To do this, get the name of their scheduler and contact that person to request a meeting. Indivisible, a citizen activist group, advises activists in its guide to ask the person who answers the phone at a legislator’s office to confirm the name of the staffer who handles animal rights/environmental policy issues.
You can also stop into your lawmaker’s local office, and politely request a meeting, noting that you haven’t received a response from your phone or email messages. Often, lawmakers hold office hours during breaks in their legislative sessions. If they are local officials, their staff in town will be at their offices to take requests.
If possible, have a group of people with you to request a meeting, especially if the lawmaker is refusing to set up a time. But it’s also fine if it’s just you. When you do get a date for a meeting, bring a folder with background infor mation for the lawmaker and their staff, including a letter to them signed by you or your group requesting their support in favor of or vote against a measure. Include your contact information. Policy aides and lawmakers tend to be appreciative of the information because they may not be entirely familiar with an issue.
During the meeting, take the names of the staff members in attendance, and detailed notes of what is said. Keep your talking points brief, let the lawmaker or staff ask questions and if you don’t have the answer, tell them you will research it and get back to them and then do exactly that. Sometimes representatives will keep talking in a meeting so as not to give you a chance to get your points across. If that happens, politely interrupt, tell them you know they have busy schedules and then discuss the reasons why you want them to vote in favor or against a proposal.
Send a thank you note after your meeting and include any additional information they requested. After the vote on the bill is taken, check to see how your legislator voted and then thank them or let them know if you are disappointed in their vote. The legislators need to know they are accountable at election time for their positions and they appreciate acknowledgement when they voted the way you requested.
STEP 5
TOWN HALLS / LOCAL EVENTS
If you are having trouble setting up a face-to-face meeting with a legislator, find out when they’ll be hosting a town hall or will be attending a forum or event in town hosted by a local organization like the League of Women Voters. Federal and state legislators often hold town halls during their breaks from the legislative sessions. At election time especially, they also appear at public events such as debates and forums. They will also visit local fairs and events in their district any time of year. These are good opportunities to question them about their views on legislation and make your voice heard. If possible, gather a group together to attend a town hall so you have a better chance of getting a question answered by all raising your hands or lining up for the microphone and you can loudly clap or express disappointment if you don’t like the lawmakers' view on the animal rights issue.
