How do I contact a legislator or other official?

Officials at the state and national level address different issues.

If you are concerned about a bill or issue that is being debated in Washington, D.C., you will want to contact the U.S. President, U.S. Senators, or U.S. Representatives. For example, if you are interested in President Biden’s Build Back Better plan, you could contact those federal officials. Even if these officials don't necessarily have time to read and respond to every message personally, their staff will usually acknowledge receiving your message and inform your elected leaders about the kinds of public input they've been getting.

If you are concerned about New Hampshire bill or issue, you will want to contact the Governor, New Hampshire Senators, or New Hampshire Representatives. For example, if you are interested in a bill to make marijuana legal in New Hampshire, you would contact those state officials.

If you need help finding bills or issues you are interested in, check out this tutorial.

The New Hampshire Governor, our two U.S. Senators, and the U.S. President represent every person in New Hampshire. However, U.S. Representatives, New Hampshire Senators, and New Hampshire Representatives represent people in specific towns, cities, and wards.

Visit our Elected Officials page and select your town or city from the dropdown menu to see the list of elected officials who represent you.

If you live in a city you may live in a ward that has specific representatives based on neighborhoods. If you are not sure which ward you live in, click the link just below the dropdown menu to find where you live on a map. This map will show you your ward.

After selecting your town, city, or ward from the Citizens Count Elected Officials page, you will see a list of your officials with pictures and names. Click on either the picture or name of the official you want to contact. This will take you to a page with information about the official’s current time in office, including official contact information next to their photo.

If you are looking for additional contact information, such as a snail-mail address, click “Back to Overview” underneath the person’s photo. This overview page should have any additional contact information, from Twitter and Facebook pages to a home address.

Whether you are sending an email or letter or making a phone call, it helps to write out what you want to say.

Make sure to include your name, town, and contact information if you would like a response.

Use a professional tone but don’t be afraid to share personal stories. Individual stories are often more persuasive than statistics.

Officials get many messages, so a short message may be more likely to get a response.

Here is a possible script that you can use when calling an elected representative about a bill or issue you care about:

Hello, my name is ____ and I’m a resident of ____. I’m calling to urge you to support/defeat (name the issue or bill). (Reason why you think it should be either passed or defeated). Thank you for taking the time to listen to my concerns.

If you send an email, use a clear subject line, such as “Please support [bill number].”

Here is a possible script you can use when emailing an elected representative:

Dear [Name],
I urge you to support/defeat (name the issue or bill). (Reason why you think it should be either passed or defeated). Thank you for taking the time to listen to my concerns.
Sincerely,
Your name
Your town
Your phone number

Here are some other tips:

• The best time to call an elected official is either late morning or early afternoon, which is the most likely time the legislator will be in the office.
• Elected officials may have a staff person who answers the phone. They are prepared to take your message.
• Do not get into an argument. Your goal is to persuade the elected official, not make them your enemy. If you disagree say so, but stay polite.

If you want to see more letter and email examples, here are some links:

• Sample Email, American Psychological Association
• Sample Letter, American Library Association
• Writing to Your Elected Officials, Kid Governor