Your elected officials work for you. Let them know what you think.
Advocating for an issue before government representatives or School Board members can be daunting. We are here to help with our best tips and to assist you.
The purpose of this guide is to take the mystery out of the advocacy process, and give you the tools to help you feel confident sharing your viewpoint publicly with decision-makers in government and/or school boards.
Engaging with your elected representatives is not difficult, and they appreciate hearing your point of view. Remember, without citizen engagement, democracy dies.
Your efforts to advocate for your point of view are encouraged and above all, well worth your time.
Use the bulleted list of topics below to navigate to the issues that are most relevant for you. It boils down to five basic questions: Who, What, Why, When and How?
- WHAT is the topic you care about and WHAT makes An Effective Public Comment? including:
- Understand your topic, and the opposing point of view
- What is a persuasive message that will resonate with the particular audience you are addressing?
- TEMPLATE for public comment letter
- Examples of well worded public comments
- WHY are you speaking? including:
- To represent yourself as a private citizen expressing your personal opinions?
- Or, as a member of a volunteer or professional organization (The League, Advocacy group, etc.)?
- Answers to the next three questions can found by click on the links in the table below.
- WHO do you want to speak to and at what level of government?
- WHEN do you want to advocate?
- HOW do you make your public comment?
You’ll find information on: Communicating options (email, in person public comment at a meeting vs. written on the record), and setting up in-person meetings), Deadlines for written submission, Word count requirements, Time limits for in-person public comment, The types of agenda items and what you need to know about them (agenda item; future agenda item; etc.)
