The American Kennel Club’s Canine Legislation department has long understood that in a representative democracy, people can have an enormous impact on the legislative process. Many of our Legislative Liaisons and federation members have seen first hand that average citizens really can influence the way our elected officials vote. However, there are certain strategies that are more successful than others. To be truly effective, grassroots lobbying efforts must use effective targeting, convey a personal concern, and be presented in a timely manner.

The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) recently conducted a survey of 350 congressional staff members to find out which methods of communication with members of Congress had the most impact. The results of the study are summarized below. Roll Call, which is widely regarded as the leading publication for Congressional news, reported the results of this study in its December 7, 2005 edition. The article can be read in its entirety on the Roll Call website.

The first thing that CMF found was that it was important that officials hear directly from the people who elected them. Communications from constituents in the member’s own district had the greatest impact. In fact, the study found that most offices did not even read the faxes and letters from people not in their district. This was true even if the communication pertained to a bill before one of the member’s committees. Due to limited staff and budgets, lawmakers have to deploy resources in order to maximize contact with their own constituents.

Personalized communications are also critical to an effective campaign. Forty-four percent of the congressional staffers said that personalized messages would have “a lot” of influence on a member’s decision whereas only three percent said that form communications would have the same impact. Seventy-five percent of the staff were doubtful that constituents had actually approved the form letters. Even taking the time to add a personalized paragraph about why the issue is important to you makes a tremendous amount of difference. Federations and dog clubs are encouraged to work with their members to help them make a personal statement about pending legislation.

Finally, there is a limited amount of usefulness in sending multiple messages on the same subject. Continually flooding a lawmaker’s email box with the same message or calling every day creates significant administrative burdens for staff, and generally only one message from a constituent is counted. What the study did find was effective was a well-timed follow-up message. For example, if a constituent sends a letter on a bill early in the session and then contacts the legislator again prior to a vote, or better yet, makes a personal visit to their legislator’s office, this was considered effective. Congressional recesses and times when the state legislature is on break present great opportunities to make a personal connection with your elected official. Staff will be able to tell you what days a lawmaker will be in the district. Even if you are assigned a meeting with staff, it is likely that the legislator will make a brief appearance or at least be aware of your visit and the issues discussed.

AKC has materials designed to help you be a more effective advocate for the welfare of purebred dogs and protection of the sport of purebred dogs. We have lobbying guides such as Make Your Contact Count and Disagree Diplomatically as well as talking points on specific issues. To obtain copies of any of these materials, please contact the AKC Canine Legislation department at doglaw@akc.org.