Meeting with your elected officials about AAUW issues is a lot easier than most people think. Remember, your legislators work for you!

Requesting Your Meeting
Make your request in writing and follow up with a call to the appointment secretary/scheduler. Suggest specific times and dates for your meeting. Let them know what issue and legislation (by bill number, if you have one) you wish to discuss. Make sure they know that you are a constituent.

Prepare for Your Meeting
Decide who will attend the meeting. Keep it small (no more than four or five people), but bring people who represent different groups that have an interest in the legislation.

Agree on talking points. It's tough to make a strong case for your position when your group is disagreeing in the meeting! If a point is causing tension in the group, leave it out.

Plan your meeting. People can get nervous in a meeting, and time is limited. Be sure that you lay out the agenda for the meeting beforehand, including who will start the conversation.

Decide what you want achieve. What is it you want your elected official to do–vote for or against the bill? Asking your legislator to do something specific will give you a benchmark for success!

During the Meeting
Be prompt and patient. Elected officials run on very tight schedules. Be sure to show up on time for your appointment, and be patient–it is not uncommon for legislators to be late or to have your meeting interrupted by other business.

Keep it short and focused! You will have 20 minutes or less with a staff person, and as little as 10 minutes if you meet with your elected official. Make the most of that brief time by sticking to your topic.

Bring up any personal, professional or political connections to the elected official. Start the meeting by introducing yourselves and thanking the legislator for any votes he or she has made in support of your issues, and for taking the time to meet with you.

Stick to your talking points! Stay on topic, and back them up with no more than five pages of materials that you can leave with your elected official.

Provide personal and local examples of the impact of the legislation. Putting a human face on an issue is the most important thing you can do in a lobby visit.

Saying "I don't know" can be a smart political move. You don't need to be an expert on the topic you are discussing. If you don't know the answer to a question, it's fine to tell your legislator that you will get that information for him or her. This gives you the chance to put your strongest arguments into their files, and allows you to contact them again about the issue. Never make up an answer to a question–giving wrong or inaccurate information can seriously damage your credibility.

Set deadlines for a response. Often, if an elected official hasn't taken a position on legislation, they will not commit to one in the middle of a meeting. If he or she has to think about it, or if you are meeting with a staff member, ask when you should check back in to find out what your legislator intends to do about your request. That way, you aren't left hanging indefinitely.

Following Up
Right after meeting, compare notes with everyone in your group to confirm what the elected official committed to do. Each person who took part in the meeting should promptly send a personal thank-you letter to the legislator.

Follow up in a timely fashion. Provide your legislator with any requested materials and information. If the elected official or staff member doesn't meet the deadline for action agreed upon during the meeting, ask him or her to set another deadline. Be persistent and flexible!

If you are meeting with a member of Congress, let AAUW know what you learned during your meeting. Knowing what arguments your MC used, what issues are important to him or her, and what positions he or she took on various issues will help make AAUW's national lobbying strategy more effective!