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Elizabeth Warren, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, has inspired millions of progressives and is seen as a potential presidential candidate for the Democratic Party. Whether you’re a constituent, a supporter, or a critic, there are many ways to contact Sen. Warren, but if you want your voice to be heard you should know the most effective means of communication and the protocol for corresponding with a U.S. senator.
Steps
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Call Senator Warren for the best chance of being heard. Emails, webforms, and social media are also ways to contact U.S. senators, but they can be ignored, unlike phone calls. [1] X Research source
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Call Senator Warren’s office in Washington. Sen. Warren’s Washington office is reachable at (202) 224-4543. [4] X Research source
- You may also call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to be redirected to Sen. Warren’s office. [5] X Research source
- It’s best to make your call when Congress is NOT in session, when staffers will have more time to listen to your concerns. Check the U.S. Senate calendar here: https://www.senate.gov/legislative/calendars.htm .
- Keep in mind that U.S. senators may acknowledge, but will not respond to, calls and other correspondence from citizens outside their districts. [6] X Research source
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Call Senator Warren’s district offices in Springfield and Boston. Her Springfield office is may be called at (413) 788-2690, and the phone line of her Boston office is (617) 565-3170. [7] X Research source
- You’re likely to get more attention if you call Sen. Warren’s district office rather than her Washington office. [8] X Research source
- Call the district offices especially for local concerns, or if you want to have a chance to speak with a staffer while Congress is in session and staffers are busy.
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Call a specific staffer who deals with your issue. Staff phone numbers aren’t public, but you may be able to connect to the relevant staffer through the main line if you have a legitimate concern and the staffer is available. [9] X Research source
- If your concern is healthcare, for example, ask to be connected to the legislative assistant who deals with healthcare issues.
- You’ll be directed to the relevant staff member, or to his or her voicemail, through the receptionist who answers the main line.
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Contact Senator Warren using a web form. Web forms have replaced email accounts for most general inquiries. This is the quickest way to make your point. Go here to contact Sen. Warren over the web: https://www.warren.senate.gov/contact . To contact Sen. Warren’s 2018 Senate reelection campaign, go here: https://my.elizabethwarren.com/page/s/contact
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Send a letter to Senator Warren’s Washington office. Sen. Warren’s office is located at 317 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510. [10] X Research source
- Be sure to include your return address in you letter.
- Address Sen. Warren as “The Honorable Elizabeth Warren” or “Dear Senator Warren.” [11] X Research source
- Physical letters are first sent through a processing facility to inspect for bombs and toxins, so it may take a bit longer for your letter to arrive, and most constituent mail is scanned and delivered to Senate offices in the form of an electronic image. [12] X Research source
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Send a letter to one of Senator Warren’s district offices. Sen. Warren has offices at 1550 Main Street, Suite 406, Springfield, MA 01103; and 2400 JFK Federal Building, 15 New Sudbury Street, Boston, MA 02203. [13] X Research source
- Contact these offices especially regarding local or state-specific concerns, or if you want a quicker reply.
- You may also visit one of Sen. Warren's district offices personally if you plan to be in the area.
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Contact Senator Warren via social media. You may contact Sen. Warren through Twitter ( https://twitter.com/SenWarren ) or Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/senatorelizabethwarren/ ). This way you can make your communication public, but you’re probably less likely to get a reply from a staffer.
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Be respectful, professional, and courteous. If you want your concern to be heard, the best course of action is to follow the proper etiquette for contacting a U.S. senator. Always use proper titles, and avoid personal attacks or the use of vulgarities. When addressing an elected official, like a senator or a governor, you should use their title and their last name.
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Follow a script if you want to get your point across efficiently. You want to personalize your message, but you also want to present yourself professionally in a way that will be welcomed by Sen. Warren’s staff.
- Be sure to know the specifics of the issue you’re calling about.
- You might follow a basic script such as the following: “Hello, my name is [your name]. I live in [your city, state], and I work in [your field]. I’m really concerned about [your issue]. Would it be possible to speak with a legislative assistant who could help me to communicate my concern to Senator Warren? If he or she isn’t available, I’d be happy to leave a message.”
- You’ll most likely be directed to a staff member’s voicemail in this case. Leave your name, number, and reason for calling, and request a call back.
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Make it personal to make an impact. Personalized letters, calls, or letters to the editor in local newspapers are the best way for you to be recognized. It’s easy to sign on to an email form letter, but if you take the time to personalize your message, Sen. Warren is more likely to hear you! [14] X Research source
- It helps to share a personal story that illustrates how the issue you care about has affected you or your family. (E.g., “The healthcare legislation being considered in Congress would devastate my family because…”) Remember to to be very clear about the issue and aim to state the facts, not your emotion, which can overshadow the problem you want to communicate.
- You might also consider contacting a journalist if you think that your story is important enough to be covered in the news media, where it might catch the attention of Sen. Warren.
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Tips
- Don’t expect a reply from Senator Warren if you’re not one of her constituents in Massachusetts. [15] X Research sourceThanks
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References
- ↑ https://lifehacker.com/the-best-ways-to-contact-your-congress-people-from-a-f-1788990839
- ↑ https://www.wired.com/2017/02/call-congress-phone-system-broken/
- ↑ https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/06/what-calling-congress-achieves
- ↑ https://www.warren.senate.gov/contact/office-locations
- ↑ https://www.senate.gov/reference/common/faq/How_to_correspond_senators.htm
- ↑ https://www.senate.gov/reference/common/faq/How_to_correspond_senators.htm
- ↑ https://www.warren.senate.gov/contact/office-locations
- ↑ https://lifehacker.com/the-best-ways-to-contact-your-congress-people-from-a-f-1788990839
- ↑ https://www.wired.com/2017/02/call-congress-phone-system-broken/
- ↑ https://www.warren.senate.gov/contact/office-locations
- ↑ https://www.senate.gov/reference/common/faq/How_to_correspond_senators.htm
- ↑ https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/06/what-calling-congress-achieves
- ↑ https://www.warren.senate.gov/contact/office-locations
- ↑ https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/06/what-calling-congress-achieves
- ↑ https://www.senate.gov/general/contacting.htm
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