Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor

Resources

In their section on what members of congress care about, the Indivisible Guide notes that members of congress care a lot about local press and editorials so writing a letter to the editor is one way to make your voice heard.

For longer opinion and commentary pieces:

Organization for Action provides a template for a letter to the editor:

Dear Editor:

[If you are responding to or referencing another article, you should reference it by writing the first sentence, then the title of the article, the name of the publication & finally the date it was published. If not, you can start here with the reason why you’re writing, but it’s not always necessary. Sometimes it’s best to include some kind of interesting hook here that also explains why you’re writing without saying “I’m writing because…”]

[Tell your personal story in this second section. How has the issue impacted you, your family, or someone you know? Or why is this issue important to you? What are the impacts of the issue on people in your community? Remember to be concise, draw a local connection, and relate to the community you know best by touching on the values you share with them. If you include contrast—what the opponents think—be respectful.]

[So now what? Are you encouraging readers to contact their legislator? Are you asking them to take some other action? Don’t be afraid to make a specific ask of the people reading your letter.]

[End on a positive note. You have gone to all this trouble to entice your readers, you don’t want to turn them off to your opinions before you’ve sealed the deal.]

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

[YOUR CITY, ST, Month DD, YYYY]