Lawmakers

Engaging with Lawmakers

You can find the local, state, and federal lawmakers who represent your residence here

You can find contact information for state lawmakers here. 

You can track state legislation here.  


One of the most important actions AAUP members can take is to be engaged with their elected officials. This can include a variety of activities and different levels of commitment. Letting your government representatives know where you stand is also the single most effective way to get them to vote your way.

There are many misperceptions on how to do this and there definitely is an effective and ineffective way to interact with them.  

Elected officials, especially those in the Georgia General Assembly which meets only 40 days a year, are under an enormous time crunch. Trying to get them to understand a complicated issue, for the first time, in a day or two, is, at the outset, a near impossible task. Keep that in mind when reaching out to them. Be respectful of their position and demands. Be firm yet always  offer more than one way to approach your needs. Do not attack them, belittle them or assume they know nothing. (This last one takes a degree of political finesse). Guide them, help them and many times they will help you. Maybe not this time but down the road when they remember how respectful you were to them. This is the ultimate goal: to create a positive feeling in them towards you and your profession. 

One of the most overlooked forms of interaction with lawmakers is to stay engaged year ‘round. Only reaching out to them when you need something, only contacting them during or right before the legislative session is possibly the worst way to be effective. When you contact them, have a specific, detailed request tied to specific legislation. 

You could also become involved in their efforts to get elected or stay elected (assuming of course, you support them). This might mean attending events or forums they attend. This social interaction - which might include asking for nothing, but introducing yourself and your profession - becomes effective when you reach out during the session. Sometimes this can lead to an actual friendship, which is even better. Lawmakers don't usually give equal time to people who are not their constituents.

Some general guidelines: