Young State Legislator Offers Lobbying Strategies

Assuming you aren’t a major campaign contributor, what’s the most effective way to get a legislator to pay attention to your views?

a. Send your elected official an e-petition with several thousand names

b. Generate 200 separate e-mail messages to your representative

c. Meet for several minutes with your legislator

As you may have guessed, clicking your mouse to communicate with a politician doesn’t carry much weight. Cyberspace certainly helps cultivate your grassroots support but there is no substitute for face-to-face interactions between elected officials and their constituents.

One terrific young activist, who was first elected at age 24 to the Georgia State Legislature, is more adamant than ever to see more young people get involved with electoral politics – whether it’s lobbying or running for office. She is eager to speak to audiences all over the country to convince them to make their voices heard. This African-American legislator “has earned a reputation as a firebrand and continues to deliver loud, impassioned speeches,” according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Unlike most politicians, Rep. Morgan gives out her home telephone number and wants to hear from constituents, including those not yet of voting age. She shared some strategies with the Youth Activism Project on how young people can compete with hired guns who are paid to lobby.

REP. MORGAN’S TOP 20 TIPS FOR LOBBYING LEGISLATORS

Good Strategies

1. View being young as an asset and not a hindrance; and carry yourself accordingly.
2. Prepare for the meeting by knowing relevant information about the legislator (committees, district, party affiliation, previous votes, issues of interest).
3. Know your facts and why your view is right, and understand the political ramifications for him or her as well.
4. Find out the communication strategy that a particular legislator is more likely to respond to (fax, phone call, e-mail, letters, etc.)
5. Be sure to be nice and respectful to their office staff. These people are the gatekeepers and can sometimes make or break a meeting.
6. Prepare who will speak and what will be said.
7. Allow enough time for a response and a commitment.
8. Thank them for meeting with you, even if they don’t agree with your position.
9. Leave materials (including how you can be contacted) if you are meeting with the legislator.
10. Organize your peers and adults (especially voters) to make phone calls, send e-mails, faxes, or make visits to their own legislators. Ask them to share their personal stories.
11. Invite the legislator to attend a meeting on your turf (when appropriate).
12. Join other coalitions on issues that may not have a direct impact on you, but may be of interest. This will help you to build relationships and you can call on these groups for an issue specific to you.
13. Understand when it is best to get the news media involved.
14. Get creative if the typical meetings and other forms of communication don’t work. You are young and have the ability to grab the attention of the media and anyone else when the time is right.
15. Continue to develop relationships with lawmakers for continued access.

    Bad Strategies

1. Don’t send form letters, e-mails, faxes, etc. Legislators do not respond well when there is a feeling that one particular group is organizing people to lobby on an issue. It doesn’t give a “real constituent feel.”
2. Don’t assume because the legislator is a different party affiliation that he/she will not listen.
3. Don’t allow a legislator to use you as a photo op and not take you seriously.
4. Don’t rule out a face-to-face visit during the legislative session if all other approaches fail. Personal contact has the best impact and rarely do we see actual constituents.
5. Don’t leave a meeting without some commitment (if not a decisive answer on how the legislator will vote, then a commitment on contacting you about his/her decision.

When the Georgia Legislature is not in session, Rep. Morgan hopes to travel all over the country to inspire and train people to participate more fully in the public policy arena. While at Spelman College, Alisha started the Niamani Project to develop self-esteem and leadership skills of youths by using the arts to address social issues. Upon graduation, Alisha worked for the Alliance for Justice where she trained high school students in community organizing to help them create a voice for themselves and help stop gun violence. To contact this “Unsung Heroine,” (one of her awards she received by the Anti-Defamation League), call 770-912-0609 or email alisha@alishamorgan.com.