Advocate.
FIND WHO YOUR REPS ARE:
https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
SCRIPT:
Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME HERE], and I'm a constituent of [YOUR REP HERE].
I live in [Your City/Town/State].
[Your Concern]: I'm sending this message today to express my deep concerns regarding the ongoing situation in Palestine and Israel.
[Your Request 1]: I urge you to take immediate steps to deescalate the situation by calling for a ceasefire. The violence in the region has taken an immense toll on innocent civilians, and it's crucial that we prioritize peace and safety.
[Your Request 2]: I also urge you to press for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza. The people of Gaza are suffering, and it's vital that they receive the necessary assistance and support during this crisis.
[Your Request 3]: Lastly, I strongly urge you to refuse to send any additional weapons or funding to the Israeli military. Sending more military funding could escalate the violence, and it's essential that we do not contribute to the conflict in any way.
[Your Concern 2]: I firmly believe that providing more military funding to Israel will only further fuel the violence and actively arm the Israeli government, which is a grave concern. It's critical to avoid any actions that might exacerbate the situation.
[Your Perspective]: What's happening in the region is deeply distressing, and it's essential for our elected officials to take action to stop the violence. This is a humanitarian crisis, and it's important that the United States does not contribute to or support any actions that can be seen as complicit in the ongoing violence.
[Your Conclusion]: I request you support in taking action to stop the violence in Gaza and to end any U.S. complicity in Israel's actions. I hope you will consider these concerns and represent the interests of your constituents in this matter.
Thank you for your time and attention to this important issue.
Pro Tips:
01
ChatGPT
I am fully aware of the criticism of AI and I GET IT. But if this tool can help lead to more advocacy and civic engagement I support it. Not for purposes that we would otherwise pay a trained personal for, but for writing our reps I promise it's a game changer. You can take this script and modify it in AI like ChatGPT OR you can fully brain dump your thoughts and ask it to make it professional with a nice little bow and before you know it, you've done your civic duty! I highly recommend.
02
Make it personal
Imagine receiving the same email thousands of times. You see the number, it registers. But is not the same as receiving thousands of emails that you have to read to actually understand. That's how it can come across when our reps receive so many identical emails. It is by nature less impactful.
(I recently took on a role as a Parks Board Member for City Council in Austin and have already had this experience despite knowing & doing my best to void this)
I super appreciate orgs that put together these scrips! And I obviously put this one together in hopes to be helpful as well. In other words, it's 100% better than nothing. But if you've made it this far you're IN IT and you want to make an impact - so make it personal. Tell them specific things they've said or done you disagree with. Use their own stances against them. Make specific reference to any upcoming elections. I'll give some examples below but in my experience the easiest & quickest way to do this is to copy & paste the above script, follow steps 1 & now incorporate step 2 - you've got an impactful message.
Example: Ted Cruz should not support Israel’s attacks on Gaza due to his pro-life stance and I will not vote for him in November 2024 if he continues to support this violence.
03
Repeat
Make👏 this👏 a 👏habit
We want our reps to know our names and how we feel on issues. It is literally their job to REPRESENT you. You pay them to do it. Stay informed & demand they do it right. This means that advocacy doesn't end here. Rinse and repeat this process when you become aware of an issue. This can often feel like screaming into the void but the opposite is actually true. Spending hours and days on social media doom scrolling & commenting how you feel won't change reality but this process has the power to.