Protests, rallies, and article shares are great ways to bring attention to important issues, but the only way to enact real change is to make your own voice heard by your representatives in Congress. These are the people that vote on all the issues you care most about, so telling them where you stand is essential. It can be hard to know exactly who to call and what to say, but the new website “5 Calls” gives you all the information you need and even provides a suggested script for your call. The site is insanely easy to use, so say goodbye to all your excuses!
First things first: go to 5calls.org. Once you arrive to the site, you’ll have to enter your zip code so the site can direct you to the appropriate respresentatives based on your location.
Next, a list of issues will appear in a sidebar on the left.
You can scroll through these issues and pick one (or a few), that concerns you. For example, one of the options you can choose is “Reject the Muslim Ban”.
The site will then show a brief description of the issue you chose and below that, you will find your representative for this issue and his/her phone number.
If you’re unsure of what to say or if you’re like me and just hate talking on the phone, 5 Calls gives you a sample script of exactly what to say once you get through to your representative’s office.
If you encounter a full voicemail box, do not give up! Just try again or call later!
And you’re done! That wasn’t so bad!
Calling representatives directly is by far the most effective way for constituents to have their voices heard and to influence their reps’ positions on important issues. It is also really simple once you know who to call and it only takes about a minute to do! So when you’re on your way to the next big protest, be sure to drop a call to your representative and let them know what is important to you.