Hoosiers for Higher Education
IU Advocacy
Tips for Contacting Your Elected Officials
Follow these tips to communicate more effectively with your elected officials and increase the odds of getting a reply.
- Be sure to date mail. Also include your name, address, and telephone number on the letter and envelope or with your signature on an e-mail.
- Be brief and to the point. Write one page with a short opening and two to three paragraphs on the subject.
- Be friendly. Being rude, sarcastic, or threatening accomplishes nothing.
- Be issue-focused. Discuss only one issue per communication.
- Be candid and personal. Use your own words, avoiding form letters. Be sure to include your own thoughts on the issue.
- Be certain about documentation. Include details pertinent to the issue.
- Be appreciative. Out of more than 6 million Hoosiers, only 150 become elected officials to the House and Senate.
- Solicit a reply. Ask, “Will you support higher education?” To ensure a reply, you might enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope or ask for them to reply to your e-mail.
- Inform the HHE staff. Call us at (800) 937-3448 or e-mail us at hhe [at] indiana [dot] edu. We track the communication network to monitor the efforts of our members.
- Be proactive. Put a date on your calendar for an anticipated reply. You may need to write the legislator again.
