Advocacy Tools and Tips

Being an advocate is not difficult. You don’t have to be a political expert.

All you need to succeed are a few basics about the way your Legislature works and information about what motivates elected leaders. Follow the steps below and you’re on your way!

Step 1: Understand the Issue and Legislative Process

• Take time to understand the issue and know how people with disabilities are involved

• Don’t fret: No one expects you to know everything

• Add personal stories to demonstrate your position, or the reason you support or oppose a bill

• Use data from an official source, if possible, or from another respected source that will show the need for what you are requesting

• Let elected officials know how many people you are representing—officially or unofficially

• If the issue affects people with disabilities, let them know how people that is across Oregon

• Let officials know (subtly) that you would be happy to give them credit in your group for whatever they do to help you

• Find a champion in the Legislature who will support you. Start with the ones who represent you, but look for others if your members aren’t in the majority party or on the appropriate committee. If you aren’t a constituent of a potential champion, try to find someone who is and ask them for help

• Learn about the committee your bill was—or will be— referred to. Learn about the members and the chair of that committee (they are going to have the most say about what happens). If your member is not on that committee, then ask them to contact peers who are.

• Look up your Legislator or staffer before the meeting, get to know their background and district—and find reasons they would respond to your request. It’s important to “know your audience” when meeting with an elected leader or the people who work for them.

Step 2: Tie Your Request to Issues That Motivate Legislators

• Job creation/retention

• Saving the government money

Try to frame your request with one of these issues, whenever possible. You can also look to connect with an issue currently getting a lot of attention: opioid abuse is one example.

Step 3: Make Contact

While personally showing up in Salem is always powerful, there are other ways to contact leaders and advocate for your rights with the Oregon Legislature:

• Send an email, and make sure to include:

  • An outline of the issue and why it is important to people with disabilities

  • A personal story, some data, and something relatable to the member (for example, “As a veteran, I know you see the need …”)

  • A clear request about what you want the legislator to do

• Make a phone call

  • Directly reach out to the elected representative’s office in Salem or in Washington, D.C.

  • Continue calling until you get through to a person.

  • If you are polite and reasonably informed, you can learn things from the staffer you are talking to while also getting your message across.

Step 4: Get Informed, Stay Informed

Here are five way you can stay in the loop about what’s going on with policymakers in Salem and Washington, D.C.:

1. Subscribe to our newsletter for action alerts.

2. Find your Legislator on the Oregon State Legislature’s locator.
   Join the email list maintained by your legislators, and follow your legislators on social media.

3. Set up Google Alerts on issues important to you.

4. Follow specific bills on the Oregon State Legislature’s home page.

5. Google “Oregon political news” to find web sites that track political information.