SAMPLE LETTER TO AN ELECTED OFFICIAL
General Info: Your letter should be polite, short, and
direct. No more than one page, no more than three/four short
paragraphs. Snail-mail is the best way to
send it, but if you know you won’t get around to it, then a fax or email is
better than no letter! A telephone call
is a good way to state your position as well.
In most cases, it is helpful to write your representative AND your senators, as all legislation needs to go before them both.
Your
name and address (and phone number or email if you wish) at the top:
Person Doe
Anytown, Mystate 99999
Representative or Senator Do-good
Captialtown, MyState 88888
First,
go your states legislative page to find your legislator’s contact info.
Dear Representative or Senator Do-good:
(Start
your letter with something positive, if possible. If you feel nothing positive towards your
representative, skip this part)
Thank you for the concern you have shown for our community
throughout your time in office. I
particularly appreciated the position you took on the school funding bill last
May. (if you don’t know any of your representatives positions, the first
sentence only will suffice)
I am writing to ask for your support (bill numbers), regarding violent video games. These bills will go a long way towards protecting our children from exposure to the excessive violence found in Mature and Adults-Only rated video games. Numerous studies have found exposure to violence in the media harmful to children, and I am deeply convinced that we must act soon to avoid irreversible trauma to some of California’s children.
Add
something personal (and SHORT) here if you wish. If not, just thank the
representative and sign off.
I have heard some people say that we should leave it up to the parents to police video games, but I believe well-meaning parents need some assistance. I was divorced when my son was five, and my ex-spouse saw no problem with him playing the most violent games - even at the ages of six, seven and eight. (Bill number) would have protected my son, had it been the law at that time. Please give the parents of California the support we need to guide our children into healthy and happy adults.
Another
example of something personal:
I have two children, ages 6 and 4. I cannot even take them to a pizza parlor
without walking past at least two or three violent video games. Naturally they are enticed by the guns and
shooting, and at their age they can’t understand why video game violence is
harmful. If this law were passed, the
games would have to be placed in a separate room, so our family time at the
Pizza place would be a much more wholesome experience for small children.
Thank
you and Sign off
I thank you for your time and attention to this letter, and look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Person Doe
Now
sign it, lick it, stick it, send it, and give yourself a good pat on the back!