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Tips for Your Lobby Visit

Be on-time and patient. Show up on-time to your appointment and be patient- your legislator might be late, or your meeting may be interrupted by other business.

Don't turn down an appointment with the legislator's staff member. Often times you will be able to schedule an appointment with an elected official, but meeting with their staff member is still valuable.

Keep in mind that what you say to the staff member will ultimately be passed on to the legislator, and that the staff person's views are not necessarily the legislator's views.

Keep it short and focused. You will have 20 minutes or less if you meet with a staff person and often even less time if you meet with the legislator. Make the most of your time by sticking to your topic.

Bring up any professional, political, or personal connections you have with the legislator. Remind them that you live in their district by thanking them for their work on your behalf or bringing up a new development in your district that you know they were involved in.

Provide personal and local examples of the impact of the lobby visit. Humanizing the issue is the most important thing you can do on a lobby visit.

Remember your audience. Learn about the professional background of the legislator. Is he/she a retired police officer, nurse, school teacher, etc.? Don't assume they know your terminology - say "emergency contraception" instead of "EC," and tell them what it is.

Saying "I don't know" can be a smart political move. Never make up an answer to a question. Giving inaccurate information can seriously damage your credibility. Telling the legislator you will get back to him or her with an answer to their question also gives you a second opportunity to communicate with the legislator.

Don't argue. If you find yourself in a disagreement with your member of the legislature, don't get embroiled in an argument. Your responsibility is to present your case, not necessarily to win your case.

Find common ground. Even if a legislator does not support the position you are presenting, he/she probably believes in the value of your issue and every legislator still has the responsibility of attending to the concerns of all his/her constituents.

Bring supporting materials to leave behind. Bring information about your group, relevant fact sheets or statistics supporting your issue, and copies of any legislation you are talking about, including how you want them to vote! Just don't overdo it.

Listen to the responses and concerns of your legislator. Listen for concerns, promises, statement of intent ("I can't support this"), and arguments against your position. It's likely that other legislators may have the same concerns.

Leave them with your "ask." Whether it's voting for or against a bill, make sure you tell your legislator exactly what it is you want from them.

Don't give up. Continue to keep your legislator informed about the impact of an issue, even after it has passed. If they voted to support a program that works, let them know how it works. If they opposed a program that was successful, let them know it works. If they opposed a program that wasn't enacted, let them know the need still exists