MEET JEFF MARTIN

Grassroots Lobbying
By Jeff Martin


Most legislation takes years of being introduced, debated and amended before becoming law. Working with the state legislature takes a lot of patience and persistence and although Money (Campaign Donations) is the most effective way to get the attention of a politician. I am going to focus on other less expensive ways that also work.



Being able to sway public opinion is an asset when attempting to pass legislation. Politicians read newspapers, watch the news, and tend to listen to public sentiment. Letters to the editor, opposition editorials and guest articles in your local daily/weekly papers are all ways to influence the way a legislator votes. Many of your smaller community newspapers are starved for news to publish and will usually print articles submitted by the general public. This is an excellent way to communicate with elected officials and to influence your local community. If your article is published always be sure to clip the article and mail it to your state legislators. Letters to the editor are almost always published. It too is a quick, easy and effective way to influence legislators.



Many of the Humane Societies regularly write articles and have a presence on the radio and television. Use this opportunity to influence both the legislator and the reader. Talk about specific legislation and get the community involved.



Befriend a local reporter and feed them story ideas and information. Reporters rely on leads for good stories. Nothing makes a reporter happier than someone who provides them with a good story and can provide lots of factual information and research. Some Shelters around the state have great connections with radio and television stations and appear regularly on them. If we have important legislation coming up call these friends and ask them to start talking about it to their listeners.



Learn who your state Legislator is and introduce yourself to them. A personal relationship allows you more communication. If you know the spouse, neighbor, or golfing buddy of your legislator take advantage of it and talk to them about the importance of Humane Societies and specific legislation.



Volunteer your time and get involved in local political campaigns. Find out who is running, what the issues are and spend some time campaigning for the candidate you like. Recruit an animal lover to run for the state legislature, or run yourself.



Make sure you are a registered voter. Being registered to vote is power. You are a constituent. The one thing legislators fear most is chaos amongst their constituency. Talk to your neighbors, Board members, friends and employees to generate phone calls, emails and letters. Many times it takes as few as a dozen phone calls from constituents to make a legislator rethink his/her position on a particular vote. Placing a phone call to your state legislator is the best way to communicate your opinion and it works.



In 2000 the “Pet Protection Act” was passed two hours before midnight on the last night of the session. Animal lovers from across the state made thousands of phone calls to the Senate leadership and those that were against the bill the last week of the session. Radio stations were pleading with listeners to get involved and talk of the legislation was leading local news telecasts. On that final legislative day, dozens of supporters were at the statehouse, some even with dogs that had been abused and tortured. The Lt. Governor told the senate chamber that if this bill didn’t pass his wife wasn’t going to allow him to come home. The passage of this legislation happened because of a tremendous grassroots effort by citizens who cared. We didn’t have any money, but we were able to influence our politicians by getting involved. Lets get involved when the Alabama State Legislature convenes in February of next year.

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The Alabama Humane Federation is a 501(c)4 organization and does not engage in any political activity or partisan campaigning as defined in § 501 of the Internal Revenue Code. The Alabama Humane Federation does engage in lobbying or issue campaigning as defined in § 501 of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations to the Alabama Humane Federation are not tax-deductible, and donations, distributions, and membership fees paid to the Alabama Humane Federation should be treated as direct lobbying expenditures as defined in § 501 of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

Questions or comments? Get in touch with us at: hselco@bellsouth.net

Mailing Address:
Alabama Humane Federation
c/o Rea Cord
2280 Weldon Road
Tallassee, Alabama 36078