Advice from Tom Fina
To Democrats Abroad
19 June2009
Tom Fina
Executive Director Emeritus

If you are one of the readers of the Letter from Washington who has had difficulty communicating with your elected representatives in Washington, I suggest this procedure.

1. Go to WWW.Congress.org

2. On the top line enter the postal code (zip code) where you are registered as an absentee voter and click on "GO".

3. The next screen will list all of your elected representatives. Click on the name of the person with whom you wish to communicate.

4. Click on "Contact" on the next screen. This will provide the mailing address, the fax and telephone number. It will also allow you to post your message on the member's web page.

5. The most effective way to communicate is to telephone to the Washington office. Ask to speak with the staff member who is following the issue you are calling about. Tell that person that you are a voter in the member's district. Say what you would like the member to be told by the staff. Be polite.

6. Next best is fax. Include the same information about your voting residence and your recommendation to the member.

7. Next best is e-mail through the member's web page. Again, be sure to enter the postal code where you are registered to vote.

8. Least satisfactory is postal mail because of the elaborate and slow screening of all letter mail since the anthrax attacks on Congress several years ago.

Let me know if you have problems at demsabrd@… .

Thomas W. Fina
Executive Director Emeritus
Democrats Abroad