Get Involved

Contact Your Legislators

Meet, write, and email. The New Mexico Legislature website has a Find My Legislator tool Find Your Legislator by Address – New Mexico Legislature

The Find My Legislator Tool allows you to search by your address. Personal stories are important. Let your legislators know your concerns. Tell them about difficulties accessing healthcare. Questions you may want to ask:

What do you know about the healthcare crisis?
What are you going to do about it?
Where do you get your information about the shortage of providers?
Have you talked to healthcare providers?
What are you hearing from your constituents about this issue?

Letters to the Editor.

Your voice, your opinion, and your experiences matter.

Submit letters to your local newspapers.

Tips on How to Advocate

Elected officials want to know what matters to you, and they want to serve the interests of their voters. Because our state has a relatively small population, it makes it more accessible to you. When you contact your elected officials, they know you care. Most will appreciate the knowledge that you bring to the subject and your interest in making life better for New Mexicans.

First Step

The first step in legislative advocacy is to find your representative and senator. The New Mexico Legislature website has a Find My Legislator tool. Find Your Legislator by Address – New Mexico Legislature that allows you to search by your address. There is also a directory of leaders with office numbers, email addresses, and phone numbers. Keep in mind that the lists are updated in January each year, as newly elected officials take office.

When to Advocate

Meet with legislators as early as possible during campaign season and then before the legislative session begins in January. Once they get to Santa Fe for the session, they are busy. Often, the most you can hope for during a busy session is to remind them of your prior conversations and their commitment to the cause. After the legislative session, be sure to thank them for their support.

Whom to Reach Out To

You will have the most sway with your own Senate and House representatives. But also, to talk to legislators who sit on committees that will likely hear the legislation you’re advocating for or against, the chairs of those committees, and the legislative leadership.

The Three C’s of Advocacy

Connect: Build relationships that share a common Interest and concern

Communicate: Effectively share information and raise awareness. Educate and influence decision- makers.

Collaborate Work together to amplify the impact.

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MEETINGS. The best way to educate or influence a lawmaker is to meet with them personally, individually or as a group. Call or write to them and ask them to meet about a particular issue.

Many legislators also hold town meetings before a legislative session. These public meetings are a good way to learn about their priorities and share your own.

PHONE CALLS. You may also call before or after the legislative session. Phone calls during the session are usually taken by staff members who will relay your message. When legislators get phone calls from many constituents during the legislative session, they know that the issue is important to voters.

LETTERS AND EMAIL. Personal letters to lawmakers are effective. They should be brief, to the point, and courteous. Because a mailed letter may take a few days to reach your legislator, it is best to avoid sending them during the session, unless you personally deliver it to your legislator’s office at the state Capitol. Handwritten notes/letters get attention.

MAKING YOUR CASE. Be prepared when you meet with, call or write your legislator. Be clear about which issue you want to discuss, and whether you are representing yourself, an organization or a group. Research your issue thoroughly and make sure that your proposal is based on the evidence.

HONE YOUR MESSAGE. Regardless of how you reach out, be concise, factual, and polite. It is important to have a compelling reason for a vote for or against any topic. Take time to craft a message that has some data to back up your point of view. Practice telling or writing your specific story about why it matters to you. People like to know things are true and facts build your case. Personal stories are thought provoking and far more memorable.

An effective case combines both data or evidence and personal stories from real life. Any proposal that is argued solely on an emotional basis will have trouble passing legislative scrutiny. Any proposal that is rooted in accurate data but lacks a connection to real life could be considered irrelevant.

Quick Tips:

Choose only two or three main points and always include a statement about what action you want the legislator to take.

Develop one-page position paper or fact sheet to leave with legislators after your meeting. This strengthens your argument and gives them something to refer to for more information. Cite your data sources.
Include contact information for you or the group you are representing.
If you are working in opposition to specific legislation, always offer an alternative, when possible, such as a program that has worked well in another state. This way you’re working to solve the problem, not just block the legislation.

SOME SIMPLE BUT IMPORTANT DO’S AND DON’TS

DO:

Make an appointment whenever possible and call if you are running late.
Be flexible and understanding if your meeting is cancelled, delayed, or ends up with a staff member instead of your legislator.
Be courteous, respectful, quick with gratitude, and slow to criticize. Be well organized, prepared, and if you’re working in coalition, be united.
Refer to specific legislation by the bill number and know the status of the bill if that is what you’re advocating for/against. Use both data and personal stories but be concise and to the point.
Give them short, easy-to-read literature like fact sheets.
Ask for what you want.
Allow the legislator to ask questions or express their opinion (and follow up with the answer if you don’t know it off hand).
Understand and be able to address the other side of the argument. Do keep the door open for further discussion.

DON’T:

Be argumentative, arrogant, condescending or threatening. Don’t exaggerate the case.
Overwhelm them with too much data.
Make up answers. Say you don’t know and get back later with the correct information.
Take more time than you were offered.
Burn bridges. Leave the door open for further discussion, on this or other issues