League of Women Voters of Manatee County

Citizen Advocacy Information

Make a difference. Be an influencer. Participate in government. Let your elected officials hear from you. Influence public opinion with letters to the editor and postings to social media!

FINDING YOUR LEGISLATOR

Phone or write your representatives on issues important to you.

The information you need, phone numbers and addresses are here:

  • To find who your State Representative is in Tallahassee, Click Here
  • To determine if you are in State Senate district  20 or 22, Click Here for State Senate District Map of Manatee County
  • For the League of Women Voters of Manatee County Citizen’s Spreadsheet with Elected Officials (which includes names, addresses, telephone numbers and emails), Click Here
           Commissioner contact information is in the county tab, highlighted in yellow
           School Board contact information is in the county tab, highlighted in blue 

  • For a spreadsheet with the contact information for all the Florida state Representatives and Senators, Click Here

ADVICE ON CONTACTING YOUR LEGISLATOR VIA LETTER OR EMAIL

  1. Use a professional letterhead or email address if available, for greater credibility.
  2. Identify yourself as a constituent, a member or officer of an organization or business owner if applicable.
  3. If the correspondence is in relation to legislation, in the subject line should state your position on the legislative issue or proposed bill. For example, “Oppose Bill XYZ,” or “Vote Yes on Bill XYZ.”
  4. State your purpose for writing in the first sentence of your correspondence. If regarding legislation, use the full name and bill number and possibly a short description of the bill.
  5. Be courteous and polite, even if you disagree strongly with the position of the legislator.
  6. If appropriate, include personal information about why the issue matters to you.
  7. Back up your opinions with supporting facts.
  8. Tell what effect you think a particular issue will have on you, your children, business or community. Be concise but specific.
  9. Suggest a course of action and offer assistance. Never make promises or threats.
  10. Cover only one issue per email or letter. If you have another issue to address, please write another message.
  11. Thank the legislator for their consideration. Sign your name and provide contact information.
  12. Mail the letter or send the email within a reasonable time frame so there is time for the legislator to read and consider your position or follow up with you.

TRAINING AND GUIDE TO MAKING PUBLIC COMMENTS

Do you want to tell elected officials what is on your mind, but don’t because:

  • you don’t know how?
  • you don’t think it will make a difference?
  • you feel nervous or don’t like public speaking?
  • you are too busy?

To see the video one-hour public comment training where the mystery out of the advocacy process, and gives you the tools to help you feel confident sharing your viewpoint publicly with decision-makers in government and/or school boards:

Explore our Guide to Making Public Comments.

Remember, without citizen engagement, democracy dies. Your elected officials work for you. Let them know what you think.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Another way exercise citizen advocacy is to write a letter to the editor. 
  1. Locate your local papers: Below is contact information for the 2 local Manatee and Sarasota newspapers and the largest online newspaper in Manatee County. Consider other newspapers such as The Observer, The Islander and Anna Maria Sun as well as electronic newspapers and blogs and their letter to the editor or column submission instructions are generally on their website and on their letter to the editor paper page.
  2. Consider other media audiences: Are you part of a community that has a newspaper or website? Are you part of an organization with a newsletter?
  3. Follow directions: Many papers/media have instructions on how to submit a letter that are on the paper’s website or newspaper on the editorial page. Be sure to adhere to the word limit and comply in providing all required information.
  4. Make your letter accurate and original: Use verified facts from reliable sources. Use your own experience and insights. Do not identify as League of Women Voters unless approved by the LWV Board of Directors. Editors will avoid printing letters that are already in print or obviously from a generalized form.
  5. Make you letter clear and objective: The subject line and opening statement should grab the reader’s attention and clearly state the position. Be objective and verify your information. If this is a call to action, clearly state what you are proposing they do and end with, if appropriate, with  a call to action or a vision of what can be achieved.
  6. Review and Submit: Review your letter or column for clarity, accuracy and succinctness. Do not submit as an attachment by copy/paste it into the body of the email or web submission form.
  7. Share your letter to the editor: Post the link on social media and tag officials, other local opinion leaders, and your friends and family.

Bradenton Herald
Online: http://www.bradenton.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/submit-letter/
(300 word limit/ 2 letters per month)
Bradenton Herald
1111 Third Ave W
Bradenton, FL 34205

Herald-Tribune
Email: editor.letters@heraldtribune.com
(200 word limit/ 1 letter per month)
Mail: Letters Editor
Herald-Tribune
PO Box 1719
Sarasota FL 34230

Bradenton Times
Email: news@thebradentontimes.com
TheBradentonTimes.com
405 26 Ave, Bradenton, FL 34205
Phone: 941-896-7857