Get Involved

• Meeting with Legislators
• Writing, Emailing, & Calling Legislators
• Other Ways to Connect with Legislators
• Find your Legislator
•  Sign up for Action Alerts & Newsletter

Meeting with Legislators

Face to face meetings are very impactful and a great way to share your story.  Call to make an appointment and see these tips for making sure your meeting gets your message across:

1) Before the meeting:

• Know your legislator - know how to address your legislator (Senator or Representative), know his/her party affiliation, be aware of his/her views on this issue and know how s/he has voted in the past. 
• Know your issue – why is teen pregnancy prevention and supporting your families important, why should your legislator care about it?  Use your own words – you know best why this issues deserves your legislator’s attention 

2) Approaching your Legislator:

• Address your legislator with the appropriate title – Senator or Representative
• Introduce yourself – who you are and where you come from
• Make sure to listen to your legislator too – be open-minded
• Be courteous and polite
• Keep it simple and stay on topic
• If you don’t know the answer to some of your legislator’s questions, tell him or her that you will follow up (you’re not expected to be an expert)
• Thank your legislator for his or her time

3) What NOT to do:

• If your legislator seems not to agree, don’t argue with him/her
• Don’t be aggressive – it’s not a good way to influence people
• Don’t apologize for taking your legislator’s time – legislators work for you

4) After the Meeting:

• If you promised additional information to your legislator, be sure to send it
• Send a letter/thank you
• Be positive – leave the door open to talk with your legislator again!

Writing, Emailing, & Calling Legislators

If you can’t get to the Capitol or if you want to follow up with your legislators after you visit with them, sending a letter, email, or calling can be an extraordinary way to make sure they hear your voice.  Legislators take into account how much mail and calls they receive on a given issue when determining how they vote on that issue.  A well-written letter and a personal call can mean more than a petition with lots of signatures, and writing down your “ask” provides your legislator with a solid resource to review his or her constituent’s (your!) views.

 1) Identify yourself as their constituent:

• Name, age, and where you are from (address on letter & emails)

2) Be brief, but specific:

• Legislators are very busy – phone calls should be no longer than 5 min and letter/emails no longer than 1 page
• If you are talking about a specific bill, make sure to include the bill number
• Be original in how you express your views.  Using your own words about why you think teen pregnancy prevention is important will help to get you noticed

3) Keep your materials positive! – You may need to keep in contact with your representative or senator in the future

4) For ideas of what to write or say, see our latest Action Alerts

Other Ways to Connect with Legislators

• Facebook/Websties/blogs:  Many legislators use Facebook, personal websites and blogs to stay connected with constituents – this is a great way to see how a legislator may stand on an issue and another avenue of getting your message to him or her.

• YouTube:  Record a message to your legislator and send it to them via email (and post it on your website, blog, or Facebook).  A great way to still put a face to your message if you aren’t able to get to the Capitol.

• Impromptu meetings:  If you aren’t able to get an appointment ahead of time, you can still stop by your legislator’s office.  You may not have as much time or have to leave a message with an aide, but you are still making your presence known.

• Register to Vote!  Supporting legislators who support what is important to you is one of the best ways to make your voice heard.

Find Your Legislator

• Vote Smart:  just put in your 9-digit zip code and find your specific State Senator and Representative, your congressional officials, their contact information, and much more such as party affiliation, background, and voting records.

• Colorado Legislative Directory: search by name, district, get contact information, and find who serves on specific committees.