Here in our corner of the internet, we see many diaries, messages, and e-mails calling on people to contact their Congressional representatives, to encourage them to vote one way or another on an upcoming issue. Usually, these messages are very urgent, so getting your message across as clearly and quickly as possible is of the utmost importance.
However, Congress is a strange organization with many internal rules and procedures. There are 435 members of the House of Representatives, each with eight to twelve staff members in DC as well as up to six interns. In the Senate, Senators are given budgets for their staffers that corresponds with the size of the state. So Chuck Schumer can hire many more staffers than Bernie Sanders. Large Senate offices in DC can have up to 35 staffers with 8 interns. Of course, all these numbers are up to the discretion of the members and their Chiefs of Staff.
When we want to exercise our rights as constituents and tell our members of Congress how we feel on a certain issue, it can sometimes be a hassle. How do we know our message got through? How long will it take? And what is honestly the best way to communicate with our representatives?
Follow me across the fold for the answers...
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