First, don’t be afraid.  They work for you.   They serve the citizens of their district.  You are their boss.  Now having said that, there are many different types of bosses and in this analogy we are going for the respectful boss that takes the time to learn what motivates his/her employee and uses that information to frame expectations and information in a way he/she will understand, relate to and be passionate about.  I do not recommend the tyrannical “do as I say or you’re fired” kind of boss.  Threats do not lend themselves to a listening ear.

Your elected officials want to represent their districts well, they want to know what is important to the people in the communities they serve and they value citizens taking the time to share this information with them.  Now saying that, politicians are also very busy people and often times have many people jockeying to be the next in line to have their full attention.  So the question comes, “How do I ensure my legislators hear what I have to say?”   The answers are in the delivery…

• Do your homework. Homework is more than just facts and figures of the topic you are advocating for; this applies to finding out the opinions and motivations of the elected official you are hoping to influence.  Are there certain words or phrases that will tap into his/her interest?  Who are the people that already have the elected official’s ear?  Can you meet with them?
• Be clear, concise and to the point. Be it a letter or an in person visit, brief is key. Your elected official is a busy person and can only process so much information at a time. Make that information count. Go in with your carefully thought out talking points (no more than four) and stick to them.
• Include an action step. Tell them how to fix the problem.  The talking points should state the facts of the problem, show why it is important to you and let the elected official know what they can do to help.  Your elected officials are not experts, they rely on the experts to help them make good decisions and create good solutions.  In the field of substance abuse prevention, you are the expert.  Provide your elected official with the facts and a solution.

Where do you start?

There are many resources out there that walk you through how to contact your elected officials and how to advocate for what is important in your community.  Some resources include…

• Join Together:  A great resource that talks about key issues related to substance abuse in your state, throughout the country and around the world.  They have a great section on their website under Get Involved that helps you contact your elected officials.   They also often have draft letters around key issues that you can adapt with your personal touches to send to your elected officials. Visit www.jointogether.org to learn more.
• Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA):  Visit the Policy and Advocacy section on their website to learn more about current legislation, connecting with your elected officials and statistics.  I highly recommend the Capital Hill Basics portion.  This offers great tips and resources for how to communicate, prepare, present and follow-up your meetings and much more.  Although this information was prepared for speaking with your legislators in Washington, the tips are useful for national, state and local elected officials.  Visit www.cadca.org to access these tips and resources.
• Your neighbors, friends, co-workers and community: Look to see who in your community already has a relationship and may be able to share the message you are trying to get across or even give you some insight into connecting with your elected official.
• Prevention Providers Association Policy and Advocacy Committee: The Policy and Advocacy Committee develops talking points and key media messages, press releases on advocacy issues, and calls-to-action on key issues.  Check out the minutes of the committee to see the latest substance abuse prevention policy issues being addressed in our state at www.preventionistheanswer.org/ncsappa/ncsappa-committees/.
• Other Partnerships, Alliances, Coalitions and Collaboratives: Many PACCs have already made connections with elected officials and would love to share what worked and what didn’t.  We are all fighting for a stronger, healthier substance abuse free North Carolina and we are each others strongest resources and allies.