Attend a Town Hall Meeting
While letters and phone calls are always great, you just can't beat face-to-face interaction. It's a lot harder to say "no" to someone standing right in front of you. (We all know we don't need that fourth box of Thin-mints, but you just can't say no to a persistent Girl Scout at your door, now can you?) If we want strong, committed action from our leaders, sometimes we will need to go to them. Members of Congress frequently hold town hall meetings with their constituents when they're back in their home states and districts. Find out when your elected representatives are holding town hall meetings in your area and show up!
Step 1 - Get informed
Use our Congressional Scorecards to find your Member of Congress and get their contact information. You will also be able to see the grade that your Member of Congress currently has, based on his or her history of action on this issue. Then, read Our Agenda to get an updated explanation of what we need to be asking for right now.
Step 2 - Find a town hall meeting
There isn't one particular way to track down the date, time, and location of a town hall meeting with your representative. You may need to do a little investigating. Here are some places to start:
1. Check a "news" or "events" section of your Representative's official website.
2. Sign up for your Representative's e-newsletter and get announcements about upcoming events
3. Get a district office number from your Representative's website. Ask a staffer about upcoming town hall meetings.
4. Check your local newspaper for any announcements of upcoming town hall meetings.
Step 3 - Contact us!
If you plan on attending a town hall meeting, shoot us an email or call our office to let us know when and where the meeting is taking place, as well as who your representative is. We can help you prepare your "pitch" and also try to get other Resolve supporters in your area to join you.
Email: info@theResolve.org
Phone: 202-596-2517
Step 3 -Get ready and go
Be prepared - Know your Member of Congress's record on the issue, and thank them for their support on any previous congressional action focused on the LRA.
Tell your own story - Share how you became involved in LRA advocacy, along with your efforts to rally your community around bringing an end to the conflict.
Strength in numbers - Find other advocates in the area to show a larger constituency that supports the issue. It's a numbers game, the more constituents involved, the greater the priority for a Member of Congress.
Follow-up with staff - Members of Congress always travel with a number of staff to townhall meetings. Identify yourself to a staff member before or after the meeting and exchange information for a follow-up. As with any Congressional interaction, the follow-up is key.