Action: Making a Difference








Copyright
© 2000
Team C001515


The role of an elected representative in a democracy is to represent the views of the people who elected them. While politicians will usually vote along the lines that their political party decides, they will make your opinions known to their party as well. In the end, if politicians fail to represent our view effectively, they can be voted out of office though some will not worry about that threat.

When writing a letter to a politician to let them know your views, some things to consider are:

  • Be concise. Anyone in this position has a lot of material to read. If your letter goes on for pages, it may hit the bottom of the pile.
  • Identify the issue early on in the letter. That way the reader can focus on the key points rather than spend time wondering what you are on about.
  • Discuss only one issue in your letter. You may have several issues to address, but this gets complicated. With one issue, your request can be passed to a particular department that may be responsible for the matter.
  • Personalise your message. A tactic used by some groups is pre-printed postcards. These will get the message across in a way, but will not have the impact of a personal message that talks about individual impact. Personal messages put pressure on the representative to reply to your letter.
  • Outline the things you would like the representative to do - this might be to visit an area, to vote in a particular way or to contact someone else about the matter.
  • Ask some questions and ask for a reply.
  • Make sure you provide a return address and phone number if you want a reply to your questions.
  • While e-mail and faxes are often used with today's technology, nothing beats nice paper in an envelope that has arrived via snail mail.
  • Use letterhead paper if you are writing as part of an organisation.
  • If you have an official position in this organisation, state what this position is. Type or neatly handwrite the letter.
  • If you have a fancy signature that is unreadable, make sure you type your name in as well.
  • It can help to start with something like "I admire the work you have done so far on ...." This gets them in the right mood to see your request in a positive light.