Constituent Meeting

A constituent meets with their WA State Representative...and finds out that they agree on two things.

Author's note:

As a State Representative, the best part of my job is meeting with and listening to constituents. It is the foremost responsibility of an elected official. We want to hear from you. I will drop whatever I am doing when a constituent shows up. In Washington State, you can look up your legislators here:

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/

Sometimes-- but certainly not always-- the meetings can be awkward. This clip is not meant to make fun of constituents, but rather, to reflect the humor in the awkward meetings that sometimes take place-- especially when a constituent has been "prepped" to say certain things by an organization.

Everyone should get to know their state legislators-- and should meet with them to share their views and concerns. You don't need to be an expert in the subject matter or in politics-- just be willing to speak from your heart and share YOUR perspective.

Some tips for effective citizen lobbying:

(1) Build authentic relationships with your legislators when the Legislature is not in session. Political campaign season provides great opportunities to get to know you local legislators.

(2) When possible, try to give adequate advance notice to schedule a meeting. Be flexible- schedules during the legislative session are hectic.

(3) Stay positive. Do not name-call or insult the person you are trying to persuade. This should be obvious, but you should see some of the emails I get!

(4) The legislative session is extremely busy, and not the best time to build relationships, provide background material, etc. The interim (i.e. summer and fall) is the best time to do that back home in district. Meet your legislator for coffee or lunch at your favorite spot. Just call or email their office and ask...you will be surprised how easy it is.

(5) Remember that during the legislative session, meetings often last only 5-10 minutes, so it is important to "cut to the chase"...explain specifically what you would like your legislator to do and why.

(6) Keep in mind that during the legislative session, legislators are completely and totally overwhelmed with information. For example, I think that more than 2000 bills were introduced and considered in the last 60 day session.

(7) SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER! Don't be shy. You are not expected to be an expert-- your opinion is valid. In most cases, we go out of our way to make people feel comfortable and help make the meeting positive and productive.

Additional tips from the League of Women Voters: http://www.lwvwa.org/pdfs/lobby_your_legislator.pdf


A FINAL NOTE:

Rep. Brendan Williams is my friend and a great legislator who is retiring at the end of the year. The comments about him are tongue-in-cheek....meant to be funny because they are obviously so inaccurate....:)

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• politics
• government
• funny
• brendan williams

[CuteOlyBoi]

OMG way too funny.. Shared on facebook before you got to the Brenden Williams part...

[MsJIrish]

I love it! so much for that 30 second promise!