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Political Science 1

Practical Politics: Lobbying

Lesson goals To discuss practical politics: How to get your way with elected officials!

Sooner or later, just about everyone discovers a reason to contact one or more of their elected officials. It may be as simple as needing a pothole repaired or complex as championing a change in law. Students may advocate lower college fees. Parents may desire a crossing guard to ensure their child arrives safely in school. Neighbors might wish to stop development incompatible with their residential community. Business owners may object to new proposed taxes or government regulations. When citizens feel strongly about an issue, whether it’s the location of a liquor store, the construction of a new prison, trimming of street trees, or the level of funding for education, they lobby their representatives. Whatever the concern, people seek assistance from their elected leaders.

Unfortunately, a great number of those communicating with elected officials do a poor job of it! Instead of being persuasive, they are ineffective. Even those who ordinarily exhibit great “people skills” sometimes abandon their winning ways when approaching government.

This lesson will provide you with some pointers on how to avoid disasters in persuasion and, instead, be influential when visiting or communicating with your elected representatives.

Seven golden rules of getting your way with elected officials

1. Be pleasant and non-offensive.

Although the benefits of being pleasant and non-offensive may seem obvious, some constituents approach elected officials and their staff in an aggressively argumentative manner. Always address legislators properly (e.g., Senator Pavley, Congressman Sherman, etc.). If you disagree during discussions, be polite and certainly say so in a straightforward way. But keep the argument separate from the arguer. Focus your arguments on facts and reasons behind disagreements – not personalities. If a legislator currently does not support you on an issue, accept that fact, yet continue lobbying through subsequent communications or visits. Always remember that the legislator might be persuadable or your ally next time.

2. Convince the official that it is important to listen.

Clearly, whatever issue you wish to discuss with your representative is significant to you, but to others it may not appear important. If you live in the elected official’s district, however, you are consequential because you are a voter! Thus, you will have the ear of your representative. One friendly, effective way of establishing your status is to simply introduce yourself as “I’m glad to meet you. You represent my neighborhood on ABC Street.” If you are not a constituent, all hope is not lost as there are many ways to validate the importance of your issue to the elected official. If the issue is likely to soon require a vote by the legislator in committee or before the whole body, if the matter has been or will be in the news, or if the lawmaker’s colleagues are interested in the subject, be certain to bring this up. More than most people, legislators like to be on top of things, to be informed, to not be caught off-guard or surprised. By providing information, you are furnishing the elected official with knowledge that will prevent them and their staff from being unknowing about an issue.

3. Be well-prepared and well-informed.

It is critical that you are knowledgeable about both the legislator you are visiting or communicating with and the subject you are advocating.

Researching the background of the legislator you are trying to influence is a crucial step in grassroots lobbying. Additionally, understanding their personality, as well as past positions on matters similar to your issue, will assist you in effectively delivering your message and requesting a legislator’s assistance. The more you know about your representative’s background, the more effective your interactions will be, and it will be easier to develop a strong short/long-term working relationship. To educate yourself about a legislator, spend some time reviewing their websites, researching any recent news articles regarding the elected official, and conferring with others who have had contact with the representative. Acquire a basic understanding of the legislator’s realm of influence. This includes formal roles: is your legislator in a leadership position, viewed as a subject-matter expert, etc? Also, review the “Behavioral Roles” discussed in one of our previous lessons. Understanding the informal roles a legislator may gravitate toward may help guide your approach.

It is also vital that you know your issue. Do your homework so you are articulate about your concerns. Don’t worry if you are not an expert. As a concerned citizen you are not expected to possess professional proficiency on a subject, but it is advantageous to know the basics of your issue. Legislators have relatively small staffs and they depend upon others for much of their information. Constituents who are ill-informed or ignorant about a matter will not be viewed as a reliable resource and their positions will be discounted.

4. Be personally convinced.

Sincerity is powerful in any person-to-person dealings, including issue advocacy. Your word and credibility are your bond, and your integrity will be judged by your honesty. Do not promote a position you do not believe is practical or right, as your ambiguity will likely be transparent and unconvincing. This does not mean that you should be rigid and inflexible. Be a good listener and open to new information and possibilities that may enhance your position and provide progress in achieving your goals. Lobbying is essentially a small, polite debate where progress is sometimes only made when all parties recognize that “politics is the art of compromise.”

5. Be succinct, well-organized, and direct.

State your views concisely and clearly. Do not waste the most valuable commodity a legislator, or anybody else, has: time! Be sensitive to time constraints as some elected officials only have a few minutes to meet with you, so be prepared and succinct. If possible, “pre-brief” the representative and staff by providing materials for their review well in advance of a meeting. This not only assists a legislator in preparing for the meeting but also demonstrates that you are informed and organized… and a reliable future source for information.

During the meeting, make a short, focused presentation by briefly laying out your case (no more than five minutes). Make it clear what you would like your representative to do, and ask what actions he or she intends to take in response to your request. Be an active listener by being sensitive when your elected official wishes to talk. Let your legislator ask questions and express her or his opinions. Be responsive to questions, concerns, and comments. If your elected official changes the subject or evades your questions, don’t be afraid to tactfully press for specifics. Anticipate tough questions but do not hesitate to say “I don’t know, but can get that information for you.” (Note: if you state that you will send information, do so promptly.) Do not guess or make up an answer to a question. Often stating a simple “I don’t know” followed by an alternative solution will be the most constructive response.

Avoid overkill. Recognize when you have completed your presentation and it is time for the meeting to conclude. A legislator will likely avoid you in the future if you ramble or otherwise waste his/her time.

6. Use the soft sell.

Persuasion is best achieved by the give-and-take of respectful person-to-person communication. Intimidation, bullying, “I’m mad as hell” tactics are not productive and will surely result in failure when trying to convince your elected officials to aid your cause. While it is true that legislators and their staff develop thick skins as a result of angry people calling or writing to express their frustrations, the “hard sell” is ineffective and resented. Threatening an elected official with an irate pledge never to vote for him/her again or the inflammatory “I’m a taxpayer and you must do as I say” blackmail are neither original nor persuasive. Just think how resentful you are when your dinner is interrupted with the hard sell approach of telemarketers who resist your polite declines. And, of course, used car sales personnel still suffer the reputations they are burdened with as hard-sell practitioners.

The soft-sell should always be your approach when communicating with legislators and their staff. The reality is the hard-sell is always the proverbial “elephant-in-the-room” anyway: the elected official knows that if you are not satisfied to some degree that your vote is not at all certain when the next election comes around. With this subtle, unspoken understanding on the table, there is no constructive reason for verbalizing this reality.

7. Leave a short written summary of your case.

The six suggestions listed above may all seem like good everyday practices that hardly need mentioning. However, it is surprising how many people would be well-served to be reminded of those commonsense tips. The next suggestion is perhaps less intuitive and, thus, not always instinctively followed. It is remarkably effective and should always be part of your lobbying practices.

When visiting a legislator and/or staff, leave something tangible that will serve as a visible reminder of your visit and the main points favoring your proposal. A short written summary of your case is best. This should be a one-page summation of your presentation, including a restatement of the action sought. Include your name and contact information (i.e., address, phone, email) at the top of the page. Make sure you appropriately date and title the page. Restrict your outline to one page, as anything longer is not handy. Design the summary to be a concise digest of your presentation. It is very likely that the legislator and staff will retain this useful summary as a resource. The document will serve as an extension of your visit and provide an easy to use reference to get back in touch with you for further information or consultation. An important side benefit is that preparing the summary also serves as a tool to ensure that you follow Rule #5’s guidelines of being succinct, well-organized, and direct!

It is also helpful to subsequently send a quick thank you note to your elected official and to the staff members who arranged the meeting. Restate your understanding of the positions your elected representative took on the issue during the meeting. Include another copy of your one-page summary, answers to any questions the legislator or staff raised, and any new information supporting your case ( keep this part very short, too!)

More tips!

In addition to the “Seven Golden Rules” explained above, several recent articles provide advice to effectively contacting your elected officials. Read each of the following to learn more about expressing your viewpoints to those who represent you. Note: although the articles focus on your federal elected officials, the recommendations also apply to communicating with local and state representatives. And, always remember that local and state elected officials are influenced to a much greater degree by constituent input than U.S. Senate and Congressional members.

“What Calling Congress Achieves” The New Yorker (March 6, 2017) by Kathryn Schulz

“How to make your voice heard in Washington” LA Times , (Feb. 15, 2017) by George Miller and John Lawrence

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Sample exam questions

Note: Sample questions are provided at the end of each lesson to help you prepare for the midterm and final exams. They are for your use and do not have to be answered and submitted to Connor Dawson

1. One would be well-served when lobbying an elected official to

a. play “hardball” because politicians readily accept “quid pro quo” bargaining

b. offer a campaign contribution because “money is the mother’s milk of politics”

c. be as indirect as possible but leave plenty of written materials for future study

d. leave a written summary of your proposal for future reference

2. Which of the following is not one of the "rules" of successful lobbying?

a. be direct

b. use the hard sell

c. be succinct

d. use the soft sell

3. According to “What Calling Congress Achieves”, the most effective means for a constituent to influence a federal lawmaker is via a telephone call. True or False?

4. Tweets, Facebook posts, online petitions, mass emails originating from websites of advocacy groups, and comments submitted through online apps tend to be disregarded by Congressional staffers. True or False?

5. As recommended in “How to make your voice heard in Washington’, the best way to influence your Congressional representative is by meeting with the official in their district office.

True or False?