This article was co-authored by Tami Claytor. Tami Claytor is an Etiquette Coach, Image Consultant, and the Owner of Always Appropriate Image and Etiquette Consulting in New York, New York. With over 20 years of experience, Tami specializes in teaching etiquette classes to individuals, students, companies, and community organizations. Tami has spent decades studying cultures through her extensive travels across five continents and has created cultural diversity workshops to promote social justice and cross-cultural awareness. She holds a BA in Economics with a concentration in International Relations from Clark University. Tami studied at the Ophelia DeVore School of Charm and the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she earned her Image Consultant Certification.
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If you want to learn about the Republican Party’s official positions on national issues that you care about, you can contact representatives of the Republican National Committee (RNC). You can ask representatives about how to vote or contribute to the party’s candidates or to voice concerns about particular issues. Contacting the RNC and its members is a great way to stay informed about our government and participate in our democracy.
Steps
Calling Your National or Local Offices
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1Call the national RNC number at 202-863-8500 to learn about general topics. If you have general questions about the RNC, making a phone call to this number is a good option. Call Monday through Friday between 9am and 5pm for your best chance to talk to a person.
- The RNC national number is a good number to call if you want to learn about joining or supporting the RNC or if you have questions about donations, election processes, or events.
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2Call your state office or local RNC representative to talk about policies and actions. If you have an immediate or urgent concern, calling your local representative is the best way to make your voice heard. [1]
- You can find telephone numbers for your representatives and RNC officials by visiting their website or at https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials.
- Tell the staffer who answers the phone your name and address and then tell them your message. They will take notes about what issue you called about and your position on that issue. Staffers compile these notes so that they can provide regular summary updates to your representatives.[2]
- Prepare to leave a voice message. A lot of people call these numbers each day. RNC staffers may not be available to answer the phone when you call. Leave the office a message with your name, address, and the statement you want to make about a particular issue or policy. They will note your opinion the same way they would if you were to talk to them in person.
- You will not talk to your representative directly on the phone.
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3Call to schedule a meeting with your elected officials. If you want to meet your representative or a member of the RNC in person to discuss your concerns, call their office to schedule a meeting. Ask the person who answers the phone to direct you to the appointment scheduler or secretary.[3]
- Ask the scheduler what the rules are for scheduling a meeting with the person you want to speak with.
- Be clear about what you want to discuss in a meeting. Ask for a meeting to discuss a particular issue that you feel affects your community.
- Persist when asking for a meeting. If your representative or RNC state official is not available for a meeting within the next few weeks, you can ask for a meeting with a staffer.
- If you are able to schedule a meeting with an RNC representative, prepare for the meeting by reading about your representative's official position on the issue and reading other opinions on the issue. Prepare to talk about how this issue affects you personally and why it matters to your community.
- Personal stories are very powerful tools you can use to communicate your concerns to an RNC official or representative.
Writing Letters and Emails
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1Find your RNC representative's contact information on their website. The representative's local and Washington, DC office addresses are on their website's "Contact" page. This page also has instructions for emailing RNC offices or members. Looking at this page can help you choose what contact method you prefer to use to reach your representative.
- The best RNC officials to contact by letter or email are your elected members of Congress. Each member of Congress has their own website.
- Both forms of letter writing are effective ways to contact members of the RNC, but they are not as effective as making a phone call.
- Writing a letter or an email is a good way to contact the RNC if you want to express a more complex thought on an issue. It is also a good method to use if you have anxiety speaking over the phone or if you are unable to call the office Monday through Friday between 9am and 5pm.
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2Type or hand-write a letter using a business letter template. If you want to write a typed or handwritten letter to send to your RNC state office, format your letter using a business template.[4] Include your name and address so the RNC representative can respond to your letter.
- If you want to write a letter to your representative, use polite language and focus your letter one issue or action that matters to you.
- When addressing a government official, always use their official title followed by their last name.
- You can give your letter a personal touch by explaining why an issue is important to you and let the RNC know how an issue or action will affect your community.
- Make sure you include specific details about the issue you are writing about. For example, you may want to point out the positive or negative proposals within a single piece of legislation.
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3Mail your letter to the address posted on your state’s website. It may take a long time to receive a response to a letter. If you do not receive a response related to an issue you care about, follow up with an email or a telephone call.
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4Write an email using the online form provided on your RNC member’s website. Most state offices prefer you email them using a standard online form they provide. This form asks for your name, address, and email address so you can receive a response.
- Your email message should be short and focus on a single issue. Some RNC email forms will have a drop down menu that lists the issues currently being discussed by the RNC. Choose the issue that you want to write about from this drop down menu.
- In an email to your representative, you might write, “Dear Senator Risch, My name is Joe Smith. I have lived and worked in Idaho for 5 years. I have not yet heard your official position on the current education reform policy. This issue is important to me because I have 2 children who attend public school. I am writing to ask that you clarify your position on this issue. Thank you, Joe Smith.”
Connecting through Social Media
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1Contact individual RNC leaders via Twitter. Some of the current leaders' (as of June 2018) Twitter handles include:
- GOP chairwoman Ronna McDaniel: @GOPChairwoman
- GOP co-chair Bob Paduchik: @Paduch
- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell: @mcconnellpress
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2Message the RNC on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Write a message to the RNC on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GOP. You can also send them a tweet or Instagram comment via the handle @gop. RNC staffers read these messages and may respond to specific questions. These official social media pages state the official positions the RNC takes on particular issues.
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3Contact your local and state representatives through social media. Visit the RNC's “Choose your State” page to find your state’s RNC leadership. This is available at https://www.gop.com/leaders/states/. Each state and member of Congress has their own Facebook page and Twitter handle where you can also post a message.[5]
- Narrow down the issue you want to discuss or express concerns about so you can reach out to the right person.
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4Write a short message that states your opinion on one issue. You need to write a short and direct message to express your thoughts on social media. Representatives are unlikely to respond to messages that are unclear or express a general opinion on the party’s position. They are also unlikely to respond directly to messages that use profanity or insult a person.
- Tweets and Facebook posts are informal ways to reach out to an RNC member. A tweet may say, for instance, “Chairwoman McDaniel, how will the GOP’s tax reform proposal affect families who earn less than $50,000/year?”
- Political figures and parties are more likely respond to positive messages via social media. Social media is a good way to contact the RNC if you support one of their actions or positions.
- Use hashtags to link your message to other campaigns or issues. This will help the RNC see how many people are writing about a particular issue.[6]
- Social media is not the most effective way to contact the RNC. Messages are usually short and you might not have enough space in a tweet to express your full thoughts on an issue.[7]
Community Q&A
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QuestionWho is the head of the Republican National Committee?wikiHow Staff EditorThis answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Staff AnswerwikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerThe current Chair of the RNC is Ronna McDaniel. Her co-chair is Thomas Hicks Jr. -
QuestionWhat is the Republican National Committee phone number in Washington DC?wikiHow Staff EditorThis answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Staff AnswerwikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerDial the number listed in the first step of the first method. This number will connect you to the RNC headquarters in DC. -
QuestionWhere is the Republican National Committee headquarters?wikiHow Staff EditorThis answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Staff AnswerwikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerThe RNC headquarters are located at 310 First Street Southeast, Washington, DC 20003.
References
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/22/us/politics/heres-why-you-should-call-not-email-your-legislators.html
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/22/us/politics/heres-why-you-should-call-not-email-your-legislators.html
- ↑ https://www.asce.org/uploadedFiles/Issues_and_Advocacy/Advocacy_Programs/Content_Pieces/back-home-visit-how-to.pdf
- ↑ https://www.tpl.org/blog/how-to-write-a-public-lands-letter-to-your-representatives#sm.00000ugan82x5wfrgpquhmlz01fcr
- ↑ https://info.cq.com/resources/9-twitter-strategies-for-advocacy-campaigns/
- ↑ http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/08/15/the-hashtag-blacklivesmatter-emerges-social-activism-on-twitter/
- ↑ https://qz.com/836737/fomer-congressional-staffer-twitter-tips-on-how-to-get-congress-to-listen-to-you-went-viral/
About This Article
If you’d like to contact the Republican National Committee, you can call them, write to them, or connect over social media. If you have questions about general topics like donations or elections, try calling the national RNC number at 202-863-8500. Alternatively, you can call your state office to talk to your local RNC representatives about specific policies or actions. You can find these telephone numbers on the usa.gov website. If you’d like to write to your RNC representative, you can find their email or physical address on their official website. For a quicker response, look for your RNC representative on social media websites like Twitter or Facebook. Then, message them directly or leave a comment on their page. To learn how to make your phone calls to RNC officials more effective, read on!