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Tools and Resources

How to Lobby for Farm Animals in your State Legislature and in Congress

Many decisions regarding farm animals are made through state legislatures and through Congress, and without animal advocates the animals have no voice. Please get involved to advance protections for them by urging your legislators to support farm animal protection legislation. Here's how!

What to Lobby on
One important thing to keep in mind when lobbying is to contact state legislators about state legislation and federal legislators about federal legislation. Finding out about the issues is easy: sign up for ACT or e-news and we will send you an e-mail when action on a particular issue is at a critical level. In addition, you can visit our Proposed Legislation and Public Policy page.

Find Out Who Represents You
At the federal level, in Congress, every resident of a state has two senators and one house member who represent them. State legislatures have a similar structure, and in most states residents are represented by one member of the senate and one to three members of the house (sometimes these members are called delegates, representatives or assembly-members). To find out who your legislators are at the state and federal level, go to our legislator lookup page or call us-we are happy to help!

What is the best way to contact them?
Legislators are keenly aware of the effort is takes, or doesn't take, to send a message and the weaker the message you send the less influence it will have on them. When you go out of your way, and take time out of your day to convey a message legislators notice. Consider how you send your message:

1. Form letter, e-mail or petitions. Legislators can be influenced when they see several thousand of their constituents have signed a petition; however the action of signing you name or forwarding an e-mail shows the legislator that there is a little interest.
2. Personal letters. One personalized e-mail or hard copy letter can quickly count for a hundred form letters. To state legislators (who represent far fewer people than federal legislators) one personalized letter can change an opinion-and a vote. At the federal level, where staffers tend to handle many issues, personalized e-mails also hold a lot of influence.
3. Phone calls. In this day of e-mail, few people bother to pick up the phone any more and legislators have noticed! Placing a call can take just thirty seconds, and be extremely effective.
4. Personal visits. By far the most effective way to influence a legislator is going to see her in person. It is a clear sign that the issue you are lobbying is of great importance to you. In addition, personal visits are the best way to form a relationship with legislative staff or the legislator themselves.

Tips for Effective Communication (phone, e-mail or in person)

• Always identify yourself. Let them know you are a constituent and include your name, address and phone number.
• Focus on one to two issues per communication or visit. Be sure to include the bill numbers, subject and most importantly what you want the legislator to do (support, oppose, cosponsor, etc.)
• Do your homework. When talking to legislators or staff you are the expert, so do some homework ahead of time. Bring fact sheets supporting your position. If you don't know the answer to a question, let them know that you will follow up with them after the meeting (or call them back).
• Reward good behavior. Congratulate and thank legislators if they have voted positively for animals.
• Keep communications brief. Legislators and their staff are usually pressed for time, so work to provide the facts and your request in a few short paragraphs or within three minutes.
• Personalize your view. Use your own words–do not send sample letters verbatim. Let the legislator know why this issue is important to you.
• **Remember to follow up. After your meeting, letter, or phone call, follow up with the legislator or staff person with a thank you note, any information requested, or just to hear their position on the bill.

The Basic How-To's

When you sign up for ACT or e-alerts, you will be notified of critical legislation that needs your help. We will include a sample e-mail or phone script.

Important Tip: Many legislators rely on staff to handle correspondence and provide them with the information to make a decision on how their constituents want them to vote. Your relationship with staff can mean the difference on a vote, so be sure the treat the staff as you would the legislator. In addition, most staffers handle multiple issues–and are thankful for assistance. Always offer to send them additional information.

Lobby in Person: Personal visits are the most effective way to show your legislators how important an issue is to their constituency. Making the extra effort to lobby in person is extremely important and has the potential to shift policy in favor of farm animals more quickly than just e-mailing or calling.

When meeting with your members of Congress call your legislator's office and ask to schedule an appointment with the member or the appropriate staff member. You can also meet with your legislators or their staff in their district offices. You will most likely be meeting with a staff member rather than the actual legislator. Staffers deal with the details of issues and will often advise legislators on what position to take. At the state level, you are more likely to meet with the member directly.

**Tip for lobbying in person: Dress and act professionally. A good impression can only help your message.

Send an E-Mail or Letter: Members of Congress are inundated with email, so to be effective send your letter to the staff member who handles the issue of interest. Call the office (or us) to find out which staff handles the issue. For state legislators, who do not receive as many e-mails - your communication has more impact, but remember to personalize it. Postal letters are great for state legislators but not as good for those at the federal level. Since the anthrax scare, Congressional mail undergoes intense screening, delaying its delivery and sometimes damaging the content. Instead of sending a letter to Capitol Hill, you can fax your letter to the attention of the relevant staffer, or mail it to the legislator's in-state office.

**Tips for writing to your legislators: When sending an email, compose it as if it were a traditional letter. Do not include attachments, and postal letters use plain paper and a business letter format.

Make the Call: Phone calls are effective and efficient-especially when a vote is about to occur (as you will be notified in an ACT alert). As with e-mails, it is most effective to speak directly with the staffer who handles the specific issue that you are calling about. Ask to speak with the staffer who handles animal protection issues, introduce yourself (making sure to mention that you are a constituent), let them know what issue you are calling about and what you would like the legislator to do, and then ask for his or her e-mail address so that you can follow up directly. Sample phone call:

"Hi, my name is Nicky and I am constituent of Senator Sarbanes. I am calling to ask that the Senator cosponsor SB 394 – the Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act. Has Senator Sarbanes taken a position on this bill yet? I would be happy to send to additional information on why it is so important. Can I get your email address?"

Give us your feedback: Please tell us what you found out from your legislators. This information is extremely helpful in knowing who needs to be lobbied harder to make positive changes for the animals. Go to: http://www.capwiz.com/farmsanctuary/lrm/feedback.tt to enter feedback on your federal legislators or, for feedback on your state legislators, please contact us at campaign@farmsanctuary.org or 607-583-2225 ext. 229.

A compassionate world begins with you.

To get more involved in this and other activist projects, join Farm Sanctuary's Advocacy Campaign Team (ACT). Please click here to fill out our online ACT Questionnaire.