Legislators have a limited amount of time to contact constituents during the General Session.  Because of limited staff (one intern shared by two legislators) and resources, legislators may find it difficult to make as many contacts as they would like as often as they’d like.  When a legislator does find time to read comments on issues important to his constituency, he wants to maximize that time by restricting reading and response time to “true” constituents—in contrast to individuals who claim to be “constituents” because they live somewhere in the state of Utah.  “True” constituents can increase the likelihood of responses to their e-mails from their representative during the General Session by following a few simple suggestions. 

DON’T “BLANKET” E-MAIL all legislators at the same time you’re sending your message to your representative.  Often e-mails are opened by legislators to see where the e-mail has originated.  And, when the “To:” line is filled with multiple e-mail addresses, this is an indication that you might not be an “actual” constituent.  If you want to get the attention of all the legislators in the state, save the “blanket” e-mail for another time.

THE “SUBJECT:” LINE holds the key to successful identification of your constituency.  By placing your Name and City in the “Subject:” line with a brief (seven words or less) explanation of the issue you are communicating, you are certainly guaranteed to be noticed over another e-mail with a generic heading.

MULTIPLE ISSUE E-MAILS ARE HARD TO ANSWER QUICKLY and almost always get placed on the bottom of the deck.  By limiting a single e-mail to one subject, a constituent will help keep the legislator focused on the issue at hand.  If you feel the need to communicate a number of separate issues to your legislator, break them up into multiple e-mailings.  Remember to keep your single issue e-mails to a total of 2 to 3 paragraphs.  This will greatly reduce reading time as well as help you make your thoughts concise and to the point.

DON’T INCLUDE ATTACHMENTS, pictures, fancy text, or other distractive content.  Capitol computer systems and filters often throw “unusual” e-mails out with the “trash” or mark them as “spam.”

REFRAIN FROM THREATENING SPEECH and impugning the character of your representative.  Remember the Golden Rule, do unto others as you would have them…Legislators have feelings, too!

DON’T EXPECT AN IMMEDIATE ANSWER.  Patience is a virtue.  Be aware that legislators are involved in committee meetings, floor debates, and meetings with other groups and constituents.  Each Representative represents a minimum of 30,000 people and each Senator has a minimum of 80,000 constituents.  You may not be the only one with a “pressing issue.”

DON’T EXPECT LENGTHY, DISSERTATIVE ANSWERS.   Sometimes the answer to your question may take nothing more than a couple of sentences.  Other times, depending on the single-question inquiry, answers may require more thought and text to adequately address the issue.  But, never expect a dissertation for an answer.  Remember, some politicians never learned how to type with any more than six fingers and a thumb.

TRY “SNAIL MAIL” FOR A CHANGE.  Writing a letter on an actual piece of paper and mailing it to the Capitol may solicit a quicker response.  Letters on real paper, some legislators say, show that the constituent has thoughtfully considered the issue and spent time to draft their concerns.  E-mails can be uncongenial at times and much too easy to fire a shot across the bough without sensible civility—I know because I may have sparked the fuse a couple of times myself.  A paper letter almost always requires a paper response in return.

Legislators want to hear what their constituents have to say—they really do!  By following the previously mentioned suggestions, a constituent has a better chance of getting their e-mail “voice” heard by their representative during the General Session. 

And, the voice of the people, considered by the people’s representatives, is what ensures a greater Representative Republic.