Example Letter to Your Representative

Please write your own note to your representative. Tell her or him who you are, how you are connected in your community, and what you’re concerned about right now. The following is an example of this kind of letter. Find out the address of your representative's district office.

123 Maple Street
Anytown, Anystate, 10101

January 20, 2011

Representative Kathy Jones
900 Elm Street, #410
Anytown, Anystate, 10101

Dear Representative Jones:

I wanted to write and introduce myself to you. My name is Mary Smith, and I live in Anytown, Anystate. I have two children who live here, and four grandchildren. I am a member of the Friendly Quaker Meeting here in Anytown, where I am the clerk of the Peace Committee. I organize our monthly letter-writing table about issues that members of our Friends meeting care about. I am a retired teacher, and I volunteer in my grandchildren’s school helping out with reading.

One of the things I’m very concerned about in my community is funding for education. Every time I visit my grandchildren’s school I see the need. I know you campaigned on cutting the deficit by cutting government spending, but I am concerned that this will lead the people in our community to suffer.

One of the groups I work with, the Friends Committee on National Legislation in Washington, has done a lot of work on how the government could shift its priorities away from wasteful Pentagon spending to cut the deficit and be able to pay for what people in our communities need, such as education.  I hope you will take a look at FCNL’s website, www.fcnl.org, to find out about this nonpartisan Quaker lobby in the public interest.

I look forward to working with you this year.

Sincerely,

Mary Smith