How to write to your congressman and senators

1. Find your representative and senators

You have one U.S. representative, chosen by your congressional district, and two U.S. senators, chosen by your state. Your address decides all three. Browse the officials Resistbot delivers to, or start a letter and Resistbot looks them up from your address.

2. Ways to reach them

• Web contact form. Each office has a form on its official website. It asks for your street address and only accepts messages from constituents in its state or district.
• Phone. Call the Washington office or a district office. Staff note your name, address and position on the issue.
• Fax. Most offices still accept faxes, which arrive the same day.
• Postal mail. Mail to Capitol Hill is screened before it reaches an office, which can delay it by weeks. Letters to a district office avoid most of that delay.
• Resistbot. Write once, or let Resistbot draft it for you, and Resistbot delivers your letter to each office by email, fax or postal mail. You never look up a form or an address.

3. What to write

Let Resistbot draft it. Send Resistbot a bill number or a news article, and it drafts a letter for you. Edit it as much as you like before it’s sent.

Writing your own? Keep these in mind:

• Say you’re a constituent. Open with your name and where you live. Offices prioritize the people they represent.
• Name one issue. If there’s a bill, give its number, like H.R. 1234 or S. 567, and say whether you support or oppose it.
• Keep it short. Three or four short paragraphs is plenty. Staff log each letter by issue and position.
• Make it personal. Explain how the issue affects you, your family or your work. Your own words carry more weight than a form letter.

4. Write to your governor, state legislators and mayor

Many decisions that affect you happen in your statehouse and city hall. When Resistbot asks where to send your letter, reply all to reach the President, Congress, your governor and state legislators. Reply stateContact your Governor and/or state legislators for just your governor and legislators, or mayorWrite or call your Mayor for your city or county mayor. The keyword guide lists every target.

5. Go beyond one letter

• Publish your letter. Others can read it and send their own.
• Start or sign a campaign. Sign a campaign and Resistbot sends its letter to your representative and senators. To start your own, write a letter and choose petition when Resistbot asks whether it should be private, open or a petition. Everyone who signs sends a copy to their own officials.
• Build a following. Text claimClaim your own custom username you can use for your petitions and vote drives. to get your own page and keyword. Your followers get a text each time you start a campaign.
• Write to your local paper. Resistbot can send your letter to your local newspaper too. See the letters we’ve had published.
• Visit their offices. Text visit to find the Capitol and local offices for your members of Congress.