Reach Your Elected Officials
Want to know something about the people elected to represent you? We thought you might. Find and contact federal, state and local officials—right from your chair! And it does matter: only 5 to 10 percent of voters ever contact legislators, which is why even small groups of advocates can make a difference.
connect
|
|
|
|
|
|
get weekly updates
Check out our ABCs of Advocacy Toolkit to get started!
Watch the Introduction to Advocacy video!
Looking for Inspiration?
Our Success Stories section has stories of people who took action, made their voice heard and made a difference.
Tools for Reaching Officials
Now that you know how to reach your elected officials (see the tool on the right), what's the most effective way to make sure your message is heard, and follow up? These resources below are designed to help you do just that.
February 9, 2012
During presidential election cycles in particular, voters’ concerns are brought to the forefront ofthe public debate and discussed widely in the media.
February 1, 2012
This smooth Prezi video introduces our joint 2012 campaign with Voices for America's Children, the Children's Leadership Council, and the National Collaboration for Youth.
January 23, 2012
The National Association for Education details updates on the House ESEA reauthorization bills.
January 19, 2012
An op-ed is a timely, provocative essay that expresses an opinion on an important issue. Letters to the editor (LTEs) generally respond to a previous article in the paper. Each can be very useful and cost-effective tools for advocates trying to get out a message. Most policymakers or their staff read op-eds and LTEs as a way to track issues important to their constituents.
January 18, 2012
Join the National Council's 8th Annual Public Policy Institute and Hill Day on June 25-26, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Washington, D.C.
December 16, 2011
Sunlight has introduced this way-cool online tool that shows you how much (or how little) Congress is talking about the issues you care about. Capitol Words lets you search by state, date, and politician, and includes graphs that let you see the frequency of Congressional discussion of your issues in a visual. It also allows you to follow a term's usage--like, say, "childre
December 8, 2011
ABC News and Yahoo! News will host a Republican presidential debate on Saturday, December 10, 2011 at Drake University in Des Moines, IA. Have a question for the GOP candidates? Here's your opportunity to ask it.
December 2, 2011
The fact is: infants and toddlers in nearly every state continue to fall behind, many will never catch up. Yet, with the right investment in treatment and therapy before the age of five, the state of early intervention and early disability intervention for millions of families across the country could change.
November 21, 2011
In the wake of Congress's block of new rules on school lunches, pizza has now been deemed a vegetable for school meals--thanks to the tomato paste found in the pizza's sauce. Enraging parents and health specialists alike, this new legislation's block also came to the attention of the classic sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live in a segment with special guest and kids advoca
November 17, 2011
Take a look into the unseen world of young children serving decades behind bars in America's adult prison system.
On November 20th at 10 pm EST, MSNBC will premiere "Young Kids, Hard Time," a one-hour documentary narrated by Rick Springfield that throws back the veil on the reality of young kids serving long sentences in adult prisons.
November 14, 2011
Time is running short for the supercommittee to complete a budget outline for the federal budget. Committee members may be stymied by a partisan divide over whether or not to include revenue raisers, like ending the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest households, along with spending cuts.
November 10, 2011
Who better to blaze innovative trails in communities than students with their fingers on the cultural, technological and social pulse? So Prez Obama came up with the Campus Champions of Change Contest, challenging students to share their bright ideas.
November 9, 2011
Advocates--including Children's Leadership Council chairman Alan Houseman--fight for children in this op-ed.
November 2, 2011
A Rhode Island Senator makes a plea for Pell Grants in a Huffington Post column.
November 1, 2011
Half in Ten has officially started the clock on the goal of cutting poverty in half in 10 years and has tons of resources to help you get involved.
October 25, 2011
In a new video, Paul Simon and Dr. Irwin Redlener, co-founders of the Children's Health Fund, along with other pediatricians urge the Congressional super committee to protect funding to children's health care.
October 19, 2011
On October 19, Vice President Biden will join union members and other activists to rally on Capitol Hill in support of a bill that would create or protect nearly 400,000 education jobs while preventing the layoffs of thousands of police officers and firefighters. Can you join the vice president and activists at2 p.m.
October 18, 2011
In the next few weeks, Congress is poised to make the deepest cuts to federal juvenile justice funding in more than a decade, which will increase rates of incarceration for youth, which is both less effective and runs counter to public opinion. With your help, we can reverse this.
October 12, 2011
“We know who we are and we know what we want: we're a big, diverse movement that's fighting for an economy that works for all of us, not just the top 1 percent.” A new video aims to give voice (and faces) to the Occupy Wall Street movement that is spreading across America.
October 11, 2011
As the Occupy Wall Street movement grows, so do mentions of suffocating student loans - and who is to blame. Jenna Johnson of The Washington Post goes online to check out the debate ragining on Twitter about whether Wall Street is truly responsible for Millennials poor financial prospects, or whether students should look to themselves and their universities instead.
October 11, 2011
Generation 18 Founder and Executive Director David D. Burstein argues that Millennials' propensity for collaboration can and will change the world - and the recent global youth summit, One Young World, brings us one step closer to that future.
October 11, 2011
Republican governors in Pennsylvania and Iowa are unveiling plans for major education changes, joining a number of their peers in states such as Florida, Idaho and Maine who made similar moves during the most recent legislative sessions.
October 10, 2011
Medicaid helps children get a healthy start in life, provides seniors and people with disabilities with long-term care, and helps those with serious health conditions.
October 9, 2011
Maine's upcoming "people's veto" to repeal a recent state law that ended 40 years of same-day registration is drawing attention around the country. Advocates say that ending Maine's tradition of highly accessible voting unfairly impacts vulnerable groups - including college students.
October 7, 2011
Eight of every 10 members of Congress are on Facebook and Twitter, but social media experts say lawmakers should be more interactive in using online communication tools to reach out to young people, one of their most elusive constituent groups,” according to a recent Associated Press article. When it comes to tweeting, Republicans have an edge over Democrats in both chambers.
October 7, 2011
Sens. McCaskill (D-Mo.), Boozman (R-Ark.) and Reps. Ryan (R-Wis.) and Pelosi (D-Calif.) are using social media effectively, according to advocacy groups for young people. Check out the Associated Press wire story for the specifics.
October 3, 2011
Feeding America reports an advocacy success! The Senate Appropriations Committee FY2012 agriculture appropriations protects anti-hunger programs like WIC, contrary to the bill approved earlier this year by the House Appropriations Committee.
October 3, 2011
One of these things is not like the others: Mongolia, Chad, Mali, Cuba and the United States. if you guessed the United States, you’re right—but not for the reason you’d expect.
September 27, 2011
There's a lot moving in federal education policy. First Focus' VP for Education Policy looks at what's happening and what needs to happen to make sure disconnected youth aren't left out of the conversations.
September 27, 2011
The recently approved debt ceiling compromise included the formation of a new “Super Committee,” with unprecedented power to recommend cuts in—and changes to—federal programs, including Medicaid and Medicare.
September 23, 2011
We have two urgent messages for members of that committee: First, Medicaid must not be cut. Second, at least half of their plan’s deficit reduction must come from steps to increase revenue. This piece takes a closer look at why increasing revenue has to be a substantial part of the deficit reduction equation.
September 22, 2011
We the People provides everyone with a new way to petition the federal government to take action on a range of issues online. Individuals will be able to create or sign a petition that calls for action by the federal government on a range of issues.
September 19, 2011
Voices for America's Children offers a succinct view of the federal budget and what you can ask your elected officials.
September 12, 2011
Last week, the NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund, Inc. and the League of Young Voters Education Fund issued a joint letter urging the Attorney General to reject Texas’s proposed photo identification law.
September 7, 2011
We are currently living through an unprecedented era of high unemployment and growing poverty. Now more than ever it is important to ensure that everyone’s basic needs are being met, including those related to food. State plans to end hunger should play an important role in achieving that goal.
August 31, 2011
As the Super Committee gets to work, Half in Ten has created 12 fact sheets--one for each committee member--that layout expections of what each member will support in budget discussions.
August 30, 2011
Join Generations United, Children's Defense Fund, and other organizazations on September 15th at 1:00 p.m. at the U. S.
August 23, 2011
Easy-to-use templates to write powerful Letters to the Editor, from the CLC. Make your case and use our interactive tool (below) to find local media contacts!
August 23, 2011
The children's advocacy collaborative the Children's Leadership Council and their allies submitted this letter to Congress in April encouraging them to consider struggling American families in budget debates.
August 3, 2011
While most Americans—and many citizens around the world—are breathing a sigh of relief that the debt-ceiling ‘crisis’ is over, the damage it could cause to U.S. children is just beginning. Few mainstream economists believe the bill signed by the President will do anything to jumpstart a sluggish economy or create jobs.
July 27, 2011
Voices for America’s Children has developed something new for social media users to help apply pressure to Congress at this key time. Their new Facebook application, in the link below, allows users to voice their concerns about children, youth and families directly to their federal policymakers, allowing Congress to see the writing on the wall – literally.
July 26, 2011
Were you or someone you know saved by a Pell grant? With the Federal Pell Grant program in danger, EdTrust, Young Invincibles, and U.S. PIRG teamed up to throw a training for interns and other young people on what they described as one of the most powerful ways to advocate for Pell grants (or, really for any issue): Letters to the Editor.
July 21, 2011
Legislative attacks on young voters and new registrations have been appearing all over the map. Rock the Vote has created a page to collectively fight back for young voters' rights and include an interactive map that tracks the suppression of rights state-by-state. Click below to get the updates and learn how to take action. Check out the interactive map tracking the status of
July 12, 2011
As pressure mounts to cut spending from programs for low-income Americans, Young Invincibles' Meghan Cheney argues that Federal Pell Grants are not a hand out, but an investment in the economic future of the nation.
July 5, 2011
nFocus Software, partnered with Metro United Way, Jefferson County Public Schools and the City of Louisville, is hosting its 2nd annual Communities for Change Symposium in Louisville, Ky.
June 28, 2011
Deborah Weinstein, executive director of the Coalition on Human Needs, argues that there is a better way to cut the deficit than drastically reducing the funding of programs that serve low-income Americans.
June 23, 2011
Responding to requests for comments, a group of researchers and educators recommends to federal policymakers how PreK-3rd alignment can be built into proposals for the Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge. Alignment between high-quality early learning/PreK and early elementary grades (K-3) can ensure that gains made in PreK programs are sustained, and that achievement gap
June 17, 2011
The Obama administration has pledged to participate in 100 Youth Roundtables all across the country this spring.
June 17, 2011
Oscar winner Melissa Leo is featured in a new video advocating the restoration of $7.3 million to New York City's homeless and runaway youth services budget. Ms. Leo spoke out as part of the campaign, Young and Homeless in the City. Mayor Bloomberg's proposed budget cut eliminates more than 50% of the funding for youth shelters and support services, according to youth advocates.
June 13, 2011
This guide will provide you with tips and tools to make policy makers hear your voice on these critical budget issues facing our nation with straight and convincing talk about the federal budget.
June 10, 2011
Rock the Vote's analysis of the 50 states’ voting systems reveals
that young Americans are being left out of the democratic process
because of outdated voter registration practices, barriers encountered
when trying to cast a ballot, and our country’s failure to adequately
prepare them for active citizenship.
The Voti
May 27, 2011
Thomas Bates, VP of Civic Engagement at Rock the Vote, clarifies and responds to Wisconsin's adoption of the strictest voter ID law in the country.
May 19, 2011
The Save Our Schools March will take place in Washington, DC on July 30th, 2011--supporters of public schools, from teachers to celebrities, will take part in this national call to action. Get all the details in the link below.
May 16, 2011
Students at the University of California, Santa Cruz took place in a national day of action called the Briefcase Brigades in April to start a discussion about youth unemployment and getting through college. Check out their video below!
May 16, 2011
A new video from SparkAction of the Briefcase Brigades, featuring footage of Brigades from coast to coast!
May 16, 2011
SparkAction's Alison Waldman, who took part in the April 27th Briefcase Brigades on Capitol Hill, gives an overview on why some young Americans spent a humid, rainy afternoon on Capitol Hill in suits and fancy shoes.
April 25, 2011
The Clean Air Act has saved millions of lives and protected rivers, lakes and forests from untold damage. Now, this bedrock law is under assault in the courts and on Capitol Hill. EDF and its allies have mobilized to confront the polluters’ lobby. Click the link below to take action.
April 22, 2011
Rich Williams of US PIRG highlights the devastating impact of Chairman Ryan's budget, with it's crippling cuts to Pell Grants, on students' abilities to attend college.
April 18, 2011
SparkAction intern Alison blogs on the millenial generation facing the job market, and what we're doing about it.
April 18, 2011
Thousands of the Millenial Generation--those born between 1980 and 2000--are asking, WTF? Where's the Funding? Entering college and/or the job market in an economic crisis, this young steadfast generation are fighting for opportunities that they deserve, and are using their exceptional smarts to do it with Briefcase Brigades.
April 18, 2011
On April 27th, young people in suits will march on Congressional offices. The hope is to dramatize the youth job crisis and the need for Congress to invest to create jobs. The Brigade is an open source event--meaning it does not belong to any organization. Brigades are to happen locally and nationally, and are customizable in whatever ways you think will be most effective for your community.
April 6, 2011
The Children's Leadership Council wrote a letter to Hon. John Spratt and Hon. Paul Ryan regarding the budget proposal for FY2011 regarding programs for Children and families.
April 4, 2011
Head Start has proven results. Angelica Salazar started out as a Head Start student and went on to become a Harvard student. Check out her story in this vdeo below, and please tell Congress, don’t cut Head Start.
March 29, 2011
House Republicans have released their budget proposal for fiscal year 2012. It makes deep cuts in programs supporting vulnerable families and children. Now is the time to contact your member of Congress and ask him or her to weigh in with the House Budget Committee.
March 28, 2011
The current Continuing Resolution (CR) runs out April 8. Now’s the time a lot of emails to the Senate could help tilt the scales for families and children in the budget negotiations for this fiscal year. Urge your Senators to vote against the harmful House cuts to Head Start, health care, housing, education, job preparation, nutrition assistance, and much more.
March 28, 2011
Feeding America offers a first-ever county-by-county picture of 50 million hungry Americans. The report comes with a handy way to inform your Congressional representatives about hunger in your district.
March 28, 2011
Based on the Harlem Children’s Zone model, Promise Neighborhoods has been hailed by local and national leaders as a critical, innovative new program to combat inter-generational poverty in America. But unless we act, funding for this promising new effort could be completely cut.
March 24, 2011
Yesterday, March 23rd, students across the country participated in the first ever Democracy Day.
March 21, 2011
Mayors are trying to save community development block grants that serve urban areas and create city jobs. Find out what you can do to help save these grants that serve local community projects throughout the nation.
March 21, 2011
Asthma, mercury poisoning, air pollution. The Sierra Club says the Obama Administration should take a stronger stand against pollution and Congress should oppose efforts to weaken the Clean Air Act.
March 14, 2011
Members of the Leage of Young voters hit the streets of Madison to find out why more African Americans were not participating in the Wisconsin union protests and why it's so important that young black voters step up. Check out this first-hand video:
March 8, 2011
Technology has made it fast and easy to contact Congress, but how well is it working? SparkAction and the National Conference on Citizenship jointly hosted a 2011 webinar on the latest “Communicating with Congress” research from the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF).
March 8, 2011
Rising childhood asthma rates alone demand that we adults protect regulations that have improved air quality. The Sierra Club opposes new proposals to undermine EPA regulations.
February 15, 2011
For those willing to take the time, learning to lobby like a pro can help ordinary citizens play a more influential role in shaping the laws that govern their own lives. Each year in Cheyenne, a nonprofit organization holds daylong training sessions to give residents a crash course on the fine points of lobbying, as WyoFile reports.
February 9, 2011
Washington state’s Governor Gregoire is proposing complete elimination of the states basic health program and the removal of 26,000 undocumented children from the Children’s Health Program. Advocates are using real life stories to educate legislators about the costs of cuts.
February 9, 2011
Voting for top questions to US Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, is now closed. To continue taking action, please visit the SparkAction Action Center and our Summit page for info and ideas for next steps after the 2011 National Youth Summit!
February 8, 2011
Check out the ECS' summaries of the governors' 2011 State of the State addresses of education-related issues. This year's addresses were chaulk-full of missions for teaching, finance and economic development, health care, and postsecondary issues, to name a few.
January 1, 2011
A quick guide for writing effective letters and emails to elected officials.
November 22, 2010
Nearly 8 million workers and their families have been kept afloat by the extension of the federal unemployment insurance program while they search for work in this tough economy. Congress must not allow these benefits to expire on November 30!
November 9, 2010
Time is running out, and hungry kids need a child nutrition bill. Tell Congress to pass S. 3307 and fix the SNAP cut through another vehicle. The Hunger Action Center has a letter to Congress urging approval of an improved child nutrition reauthorization this fall.
November 8, 2010
Congress will be dealing with the expiring tax cuts after the November election. We cannot let them ignore working families when they do. As part of the economic recovery bill (ARRA) in 2009, the Child Tax Credit (CTC) was expanded for people making between $3,000 and $13,000.
November 2, 2010
The Hunger Action Center is leading a citizen letter-writing campaign urging the House and Senate to reauthorize the child nutrition bill with improvements to the nutritional value of school meals, but not with cuts in Food Stamp funding.
November 1, 2010
Take Action now by telling the EPA and White House to save lives by setting a stronger smog standard now.
We need to weigh in and tell the administration that we want less smog and cleaner air, less asthma and healthier lungs without delay—and we need your help with this final push for safer air pollution limits in America!
September 21, 2010
United States Student Association (USSA) President Lindsay McCluskey issued an official statement regarding the Senate’s action on the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.
September 20, 2010
The Dream Act will be up for vote in the US senate this week, please join thousands of DREAM activists across the country in the "Week of our DREAMs". Senator Reid will be moving the DREAM Act to a vote via as an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill.
What does this mean?
September 3, 2010
The prevention fund authorized by the health care reform bill is in serious jeopardy. When the U.S. Senate returns in September, one of the first votes expected to come up will be a proposal to eliminate hundreds of millions of dollars in funding that would be used to prevent tobacco use, obesity and a range of other preventable diseases.
September 2, 2010
UPDATE: Senate unable to extend the TANF emergency fund from the Recovery Act that funded 200,000 or so jobs.
September 1, 2010
The massive egg recall shows how many cracks are in our food safety system. Unless consumers speak out and demand better inspections, testing and oversight of food producers, we will continue to face costly and deadly recalls. Let's use this latest crisis to tell Senators to pass their food-safety bill.
July 29, 2010
A quick box of tools and research to help you make your case powerfully and effectively.
May 25, 2010
Think factory farms and genetically modified seed monopolies are driving out family farmers and undermining the availability of nutritious foods? FarmAid says it's time to tell Attorney General Holder and Secretary Vilsack how you feel.
May 19, 2010
Do you ever come across unfamiliar terms and acronyms in your advocacy work? Whether you are a lifelong advocate or a new big voice for little kids you may encounter new policy jargon every so often.
May 19, 2010
Minnesota’s Cross-Cultural Leadership Action Program brings cultural communities together to develop the capacity to promote school readiness through advocacy and civic engagement. Ready 4K, a nonprofit early childhood advocacy group, started the Hmong Leadership Development and Mentoring Program in 2005.
February 18, 2010
Please contact your representatives and urge them to act now to avoid cuts in vital services to children, youth and families by extending the FMAP and state fiscal stabilization assistance in ARRA.
February 12, 2010
Democracy is a conversation. That's the spirit behind this site, which offers forums, blogs, polls, petitions, action alerts and more to help you get informed and involved in the democratic process, no matter where you stand on the issues.
January 12, 2010
Elected officials are often challenged by a lack of permanent staff, limited financial resources for technology and a sometimes unending barrage of email from constituents and advocates. That's where Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) comes in.
October 20, 2009
Elected officials do pay attention to email from constituents. To prove it, the Congressional Management Foundation surveyed Members of Congress and their staff. Here's what they found, along with tips you can put to use right away.
October 20, 2009
Letters and emails are an extremely effective way of communicating with your elected officials. Many legislators believe that a letter represents not only the position of the writer but also many other constituents who did not take the time to write. These tips will help increase the effectiveness of your letter.
September 15, 2008
The National Collaboration for Youth (NCY), a 40 year old coalition of youth-serving nonprofits, has proposed a national policy agenda, "Toward a Brighter Future: An Essential Agenda for America's Young People."
February 11, 2008
Have you ever seen something in your community or heard something on the news you wanted to do something about? Well, you can! Here's a step-by-step guide to finding your issue and developing a strategy to make friends (and allies) and influence public policy.
October 1, 2000
The 2000 election is past but these resources are still relevant. Check out this summary of initiatives to educate youth and young adults about issues and candidates, and get them to vote, compiled by Youth Today. If you've got others to add, post a comment and let us know! A summary of initiatives to educate youth and young adults about issues and candidates, and get them to vote:
The Latest Action Alerts
Find opportunities to take action and influence public policy with these alerts from child and youth organizations across the field.
Thu, 2012-02-09
Sponsored by:
The Coalition on Human Needs, The National Employmen Law Project
Tell your Representative and Senator(s) that Congress must act to fully renew unemployment insurance without denying the child tax credit to millions of working poor families-- no cuts, no barriers to benefits.
Tue, 2012-02-07
Sponsored by:
A college student's petition gone viral asking student loan company Sallie Mae to stop charging forebearance fees to unemployed students wishing to avoid default.
Mon, 2012-02-06
Sponsored by:
National Women's Law Center
The federal unemployment insurance (UI) benefits extension expires in less than a month. Help to prevent millions of unemployed workers from losing the lifeline of UI benefits!
Tue, 2012-01-31
Sponsored by:
SparkAction, Voices for America's Children, Children's Leadership Council, National Collaboration for Youth
The majority of Americans rank children and youth among their top political priorities. It’s time our elected officials listened. A recent study found that child and youth issues have commanded only 2 percent of the presidential debate discussion. Together, we can change this.
Fri, 2012-01-06
Sponsored by:
National Center on Time & Learning
Speak up today in favor of ensuring that our high-poverty schools have the support and flexibility necessary to expand learning time for their students!
Thu, 2011-12-08
Sponsored by:
SparkAction
Help get child and youth issues on the platform for the 2012 election!