Amplifying Your Voice in Washington

Russell Harrison motivated an audience of 40 to work with their elected leaders to change public policy. As the Senior Legislative Representative for Grassroots Affairs for IEEE-USA, Harrison is responsible for helping IEEE members in the U.S. interact with, and ultimately influence, elected officials.

He began his presentation by presenting a real-life example of a state legislature that was considering adding a six percent sales tax to the sale of computer services, which meant any service involving the installation, use or upgrade of a computer. What would you do? Harrison’s goal is to help IEEE U.S. members deal with such a situation.

“How can we possibly impact what happens in Washington?” Harrison asked the audience. “As engineers, how can you make a difference?”

Harrison’s key advice – reach out to your congressperson! “Congress wants to hear from real people – they want to hear from you! However, they don’t have time to come find you to talk to them. If you make the effort to come to them, they’re ready to listen,” explained Harrison. “Be loud and stand up for what you believe in.”

Congressional staff persons were recently surveyed about what had “some” or “a lot” of influence over their boss’s vote. Ninety-nine percent said a visit from a constituent, 96 percent said a letter from a constituent, 93 percent said a lobbyist, 65 percent said form letters. A visit is most impactful because if you take the time and effort to travel to Washington, they know you mean it.

A letter can let your congressperson know your views, but if you’re going to send a written letter, send it by e-mail, Harrison said. What happens when you send the e-mail? A college student will read it, sort it by issue into a folder, and send you a response. The e-mail will be read by a senior staffer when a decision needs to be made on how to vote or the folder contains seven e-mails. Most audience members (including myself) were shocked that the number was so small!

Harrison’s final advice was to e-mail your elected official frequently – build a relationship with them! It may take five e-mails about different issues before you can invite your elected official to a section meeting and they may actually attend.

The IEEE-USA government affairs staff members in Washington are working on several issues for 2009: Stimulus Bill, alternative energy legislation, energy distribution and efficiency, patent reform, K-12 education, immigration reform, appropriations, and healthcare.

A few resources:
1. Legislative Action Center
2. Washington Fly-Ins (Come to Washington to speak with your elected officials)
3. CARE