To effect change, we need to take action. Indivisible Greater Vancouver uses resources and tools developed by allied organizations to empower you to advocate for the issues and legislation that most concern you. Taking action goes beyond expressing your opinion or finding comfort with like-minded friends. Exerting your influence on elected officials and public opinion is where the rubber meets the road.
The Top 2 Ways to Influence Members of Congress
(Source: a high-level Senate staffer)
Your most effective actions are showing up in person and calling. Republican calls are far outnumbering Democrats (4:1 in general, 11:1 for single issues like Planned Parenthood funding or gun control), so we must do this.
(1.) In Person
Go to town halls, their local offices, and mobile offices (where staff periodically hold scheduled public meetings that are posted on their website). Ask many questions and push for answers. Be loud and vocal and present to get attention.
(2.) Calls
Schedule 6/day to your 2 senators and your representative, one each to their DC and local office. If the person answering gets sick of you, it's okay. They turn over every 6 weeks.
Calls get tallied each day and are reported to the elected official and senior staffers. They identify the 2-3 most active issues and how many called for each. So when you call, pick 1-2 things to focus on that day instead of a laundry list.
Be clear on what you want. "I want to thank the congresswoman for ___, or I'm disappointed by her vote on ____ because ...."
When calling the D.C. office, ask for the staff person in charge of that issue. If you don't get transferred to that person, ask for their name and keep talking to the staffer who answered the phone. Give them your zip code. If you're shy, use a script. (These are often provided by activist organizations like Indivisible.)
Make it personal if you can. "I'm a teacher and I'm appalled by ____."
Don't leave a message unless you can't get to a live person.
A practical tip: put the 6 numbers in your phone, all under "P" for politician, "Politician Murray." This makes it easy to click down the list.
Our Congressional Delegation
Senator Patty Murray
Washington DC: 202-224-2621
Vancouver: 360-696-7797
Senator Maria Cantwell
Washington DC: 202-224-3441
Vancouver: 360-696-7838
Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
Washington DC: 202-225-3536
Vancouver: 360-695-6292
“5 Calls” App
This is a very easy and effective way to influence Members of Congress. You can use “5 Calls” on your computer or tablet and on your smartphone. The phone version is downloadable from the app store. The desktop/tablet version is accessible through the “5 Calls” website. It’s intuitive to use and guides you through every step to advocate for the issues you care about.
Know your rights if ICE comes to your door
We are still a nation of laws. You are not alone, and there are people and resources to help you. You have rights that you can assert if you find yourself confronted by ICE, which is U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal agency that enforces immigration laws by removing undocumented immigrants and preventing the illegal movement of people or contraband in and out of the country.* Here is a link to guidelines about asserting your rights ** at the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN). The guidelines are available in English, Spanish, French, Lingala, Portugese, and Somali. WAISN has a resource finder at this link. WAISN’s hotline phone is: 1-844-724-3737. WAISN is the largest immigrant-led coalition in Washington state.
* Source: The Des Moines Register
** We are not attorneys. Despite providing these documents, we are not able to offer legal advice. Please contact an attorney If you need legal advice. Your county bar association and perhaps WAISN can refer you to an attorney.
ResistBot
From the ResistBot site, “Resistbot is a chatbot that turns your texts into faxes, postal mail, or emails to your representatives in minutes.” To get started, text 50409 and answer the questions texted back in order to register. ResistBot then knows your identifying information to direct your message to your elected officials. Activist resources will alert you to issues that could benefit from your expression of support or opposition. It quickly empowers your voice as a constituent to influence legislation. How will you find out about timely issues? Activists or organizations you follow will provide a 6-digit alphabetic code that you text to 50409. ResistBot then does the rest, presenting you with text you can use and methods for delivering your messages, including a free email option.
TAN (Take Action Network)
From TAN’s website, “Take Action Network automatically provides you with personalized actions and events matched to your interests, values, and abilities from trustworthy sources. All actions and events are categorized by issue, type of action, organization that hosts the action, time-duration, and location. These are matched to the details you provide in your profile, yielding highly relevant actions for you.” When you log into TAN, it lists current actions in a screen that looks like this. You then click on each suggested action and follow instructions to express your support or opposition to the officials who represent you. Here’s a link to get started, including an overview video, a place to sign up as a member of IGV, and a tutorial for using TAN.
