Some folks grumble about how politicians “don’t do anything,” or “don’t care what we say”.
Yet how many bother to contact their elected officials about issues that matter to them?
If lawmakers don't hear from us--their constituents--they're naturally going to at least once in a while adopt positions contrary to our interests.
There are simple ways to raise our voices so our lawmakers know we're paying attention and intend to hold them accountable.
Contacting our representatives is easy! Here are helpful phone numbers for you to reach out to your representatives.
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
Rep. Antonio Delgado: 202-225-5614 (D.C.); 443-2930 (Kingston)
Sen. Chuck Schumer: 202-224-6542 (D.C.); 914-734-1532 (Peekskill); 518-431-4070 (Albany)
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand: 202-224-4451 (D.C.); 212-688-6262 (NYC); 518-431-0120 (Albany)
NYS Assembly Member Jonathan Jacobson: 562-0888 (Newburgh); 518-455-5762 (Albany)
NYS Senator James Skoufis: 567-1270; 518-455-3290 (Albany)
Looking for another great and easy way to get active?
Download the “5 Calls” app to your phone or tablet. Inputting your zip code will produce a list of representatives and a script you can use to call about a host of provided issues.
There are also many activist groups right here in the Mid-Hudson Valley, like U-Act. We can find many on the Indivisible site.
Writing letters to editors (LTE) of local newspapers is another terrific way to spread the word about legislation and issues while getting makers’ attention. Some of the founders of Indivisible worked as congressional staffers, and attest to the impact LTEs have on elected officials. Here is a great guide on “How to write letters to the editor that really get attention”: https://indivisible.org/resource/write-letters-editor-really-get-attention
Local Newspapers:
Keeping track of legislation can be intimidating if we don’t know where to look. A great site dedicated to making Congress more transparent is GovTrack.us. On it we can locate our representatives and bills.
Here are some other useful resources:
NYS Senate: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation
NYS Assembly: https://www.nyassembly.gov/
Remember, our elected officials work for us! That's why we vote and use resources like the ones above to make our voices heard.
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