Contacting your elected official by writing an email or letter is an excellent and effective way to introduce yourself, begin building a relationship with them, and provide information on what issues you care most about. The best communications you send will be purposeful, personalized, and include an “ask” or action step for your elected official to take. Here’s how to write a good email or letter to your representative:

Introduce yourself and your purpose:

Let your elected officials know who you are. Your name and address are important pieces of information to include, so they know you are one of their constituents. After you introduce yourself, briefly explain your purpose – tell them why you are writing them. These can be professional or personal reasons why you are advocating for a specific cause. 

Example: 

Hello School Board Director _____, 

My name is _____ and I live at ___ Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I am a concerned parent and former educator, which is why I am writing to you in support of climate action in our schools. 

Personalize your why:

Your elected officials should know how concerned you are about the specific advocacy issue and that you are paying attention to their actions and leadership. By sharing your story you are showing them that you will hold them accountable to take meaningful action. 

Every person’s “why” will be different and you don’t need to share something deeply personal for it to be meaningful. The most important thing is that you are showing your elected officials that you care about the issue and that it impacts you or your community. 

This easiest way to personalize this is to describe the impact a problem has for you or a way a solution would make your life easier. Being able to show examples of impacts on your health, out-of-pocket costs you have to pay, or the ease or difficulty in participating in decisions that affect you are some examples. Being able to put the decision-maker in your shoes is how they will understand your why.

Example: I am asking for your support for funding clean energy in our school district because as a parent I am concerned about the air my children are breathing. I want to make sure that every child has access to clean air and a healthy learning environment. 

End with an ask:

After sharing your story with your elected official, end with an action ask. The most effective “asks” are ones that have a “yes” or “no” answer. This could be anything from setting up a constituent meeting to funding a solar panel. Tailor your ask to what makes the most sense for your cause. When in doubt, connect with our Wisconsin Conservation Voters organizers or other local partners to ask them how they are advocating for issues that you care about. 

Example: Will you support funding for a solar panel on the rooftop of Murray Park Elementary?

A few things to remember when writing your elected officials:

1. Keep it concise. Think of writing to your elected officials as a first step towards relationship building. You can always follow up with a deeper conversation in a meeting or through giving testimony. 

2. Make it personal – tell your story, why you care, and how this cause affects you. 

3. Let them know the best way to get in contact with you for a follow-up conversation. 

Here’s how to find your elected officials contact information:

1. Use your address to find all of your elected officials through myvote.wi.gov.

2. Search your state legislators here under “Who are my legislators?”

3. Search your local municipal website for contact information for your alder person or village board member.

4. If you have more questions you can contact your municipal clerk. To contact your municipal clerk, go to myvote.wi.gov/My-Municipal-Clerk.

5. If you are writing to your state legislators you can also “cc” their staff members. This will be listed on their contact page on the Wisconsin Legislature website.

Here’s a sample letter or email to send to your elected official: 

Hello [elected official], 

My name is [name here] and I am [calling/writing] in support of moving [city/village] towards 100 percent clean energy by no later than 2050. 

I am concerned about the public health impacts of not taking action as well as the economic impacts. Committing our community to clean energy can create jobs, save money in the long term, and provide a healthier place for residents to live. 

As a young person in this community I am excited about the opportunity for our common council to take leadership in combating climate change. By taking action locally, we are showing young people like myself that our city cares about young families and a healthy future for all of us. 

Will you support moving [city/village] towards 100 percent clean energy?

I look forward to hearing from you and can best be reached at [email address or phone number]

All my best, 

[Name here]