Being an activist comes in many shapes and forms. Especially in today’s day and age, the internet and social media play a massive role in pushing for change. With the many types of activism, from educating your friends and family, raising awareness through social media, and signing petitions, many overlook the power of contacting your representatives.
We’ve all heard someone say, “my vote won’t change anything,” but when you understand what happens once you email or call your representatives, this might change your mind.
Our members of Congress and state representatives are here to serve us. They want to hear what we have to say. And the easiest way to make them understand is to call or email them. Even if they don’t respond to your email, or you get left on voicemail, political offices tally every single call or email they receive. At the end of the week, a summary of calls and emails is given to the political leader, where they can see the amount of response on specific subjects and what topics their citizens want change on the most. Anyone making a 30-second call can get the issues or a particular bill noticed by their Congressional leader. It’s not uncommon for a leader to support a poverty-reduction bill after as few as seven to 10 people call in support.
By interning for The Borgen Project this summer, I’ve seen the power to reach out to your representatives and the real impact it makes. The Borgen Project is a nonprofit organization addressing poverty and hunger and working toward ending them by making poverty a focus of U.S. foreign policy. On its website, they have super easy email templates where you can type in your email and ZIP code, and they will facilitate the entire message and send it to your local representatives. It’s just that easy to make a change!
Whether you’re facing activist fatigue or you just don’t know where to start, check out borgenproject.org for easy ways to contact your representatives and much, much more!
Gabriela Hofer
Mill Creek
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