Contact My Legislator
Find your elected officials in the Iowa Legislature Directory.
Writing an email or letter to your elected officials
Personal meetings with your elected officials
Calling your elected officials
Writing a letter or e-mailing your elected officials:
- Legislators appreciate hearing from their constituents (people who live in their district).
- Describe your relationship to UNI.
- Discuss only one issue per e-mail or letter; keep your email or letter to the point.
- Base the letter or email on your own personal experiences and use your own words.
- Provide clear and articulate reasons for your position.
- Use only facts and numbers that you are sure are correct (like the ones on the UNITE webpage).
- Short letters or emails (150-200 words) are more effective than long, drawn out communications.
- Be polite and respectful. Threatening or rude communication is extremely counterproductive to the long term goals of UNI.
- Thank the legislator for their time and service.
- Ask for their support in the form of a reply e.g. “Will you support fully funding the Regents appropriation request?”
- Follow up with your legislator if you do not hear back from him/her.
- Sign your email or letter including your full name and address.
Addressing a letter to your elected officials:
State Senator
The Honorable John/Jane Doe
Iowa State Senate
State Capitol
Des Moines, IA 50319
State Representative
The Honorable John/Jane Doe
Iowa House of Representatives
State Capitol
Des Moines, IA 50319
Governor
The Honorable Chet Culver
Office of The Governor and Lt. Governor
State Capitol
Des Moines, IA 50319
Letter sample:
March 1, 2008
The Honorable John Doe
Iowa House of Representatives
State Capitol
Des Moines, IA 50319
Dear Representative Doe:
I am contacting you in regard to the University of Northern Iowa. I graduated from UNI in 1970 and currently have one daughter attending school there majoring in Elementary Education.
The education I received at UNI allowed me to build a successful career as a teacher in rural Iowa for the last 25 years and it is my hope that my daughter will follow my path and stay in Iowa as well. To do so, the state of Iowa must make a commitment and invest in the future of our state. By fully funding the Regent universities appropriation request, tuition at UNI will remain stable and predictable while containing student debt. Over the last seven years, high tuition rates have caused many of our homebred college graduates to leave the state to pursue better paying jobs due to their ever increasing student debt.
I urge you to support fully funding the Regents appropriation request. An investment in Iowa’s public universities is an investment in Iowa’s future.
Sincerely,
Jane Doe
111 Main Street
Your Town, IA Zip Code
Personal visits with your elected officials:
A great way of articulating your message is personally doing so when your legislator comes home for the weekend. Take some time to email or call your legislator to set up a meeting time and place.
If you are in Des Moines, the Capitol is open to the public and you may set up meetings with your legislator there as well. However, the most effective way to meeting and influencing your elected official is to meet with them away from the Capitol and in their home district.
The sit-down:
- Prepare yourself for the meeting by visiting the UNITE webpage for updates on key issues and relevant news stories.
- Don’t be nervous or intimidated. Remember, your legislator works for you!
- Be polite and respectful. Threatening or rude communication is extremely counter productive to the long term goals of UNI.
- Stay on point and only discuss the issue you want to discuss. Remember to keep it simple.
- Use your personal stories on how the issue directly affects you and your family.
- Ask for your legislator’s support on the issue being discussed.
- Be honest with your facts, and if you don’t know the answer to something, that is perfectly acceptable. Tell your legislator that you will find the information and contact a UNITE staff person to help you locate it. Be sure to email/write your legislator once you’ve found the answer to their question.
- Take notes and submit them to the UNITE staff via the webpage.
- Send a handwritten thank you card after the meeting to your legislator for their time, support, and service.
Calling your elected officials:
Calling your legislator is another way to show your support for UNI. When you call you will first talk with a staff person. If your legislator is not available, be sure to leave a message of why you are calling along with your name and contact information. Most importantly, remember to identify yourself as a constituent if you live in the legislator’s district. Remember that over the phone, you may not have as much time to communicate your message so plan ahead!
- Make a list of key points you want to talk about
- Identify yourself with your relationship to UNI
- Ask your legislator for his/her support on the issue
- Thank your legislator for their time.
Senate telephone number: 515-281-3371
House telephone number: 515-281-3221