Lobby!

Tell your Representatives and Senators — face to face — how you feel and that a price on carbon makes market sense and will decrease carbon emissions.

Who Represents You?

Find out who your elected representatives are:  in the House of Representatives and the Senate.   Find your state legislators on your local League of Women Voters site (type “lwv” and “your state” in your search engine).

Find out how your elected representative have voted on past price on carbon proposals.  See the proposals raised since 1990 in the Congress here, and go to Congress.gov/legislation to see the votes.

Lobby!

The most effective influence is always face to face.  Make an appointment or find your representatives wherever you can — at rallies, coffee meetings, and so on.  Find out about meetings or possibilities for meeting through your representative’s office.  Speaking to staff is less effective than to the elected official but don’t pass it up, any communication is very valuable.

Some Tips:

• Know the legislation and how your representative voted.
• Legislators think of three things:  re-election, re-election, re-election.  Demonstrate how your position is important to their re-election.
• Be personal, for example, tell them how this matters to you as a constituent and those like you.
• Have an “elevator” speech.
• Have a handout – no more than one page.
• Image matters, dress well.
• Ask for a response.
• Tone is important, be constructive; you want a constructive respons.
• Follow up with an email and/or a post on Facebook or Twitter.