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I am suitably impressed by the communication skills of some of our members and have seen some impressive letters written for various reasons.

Not being as talented, I frequently use pre-written letters. I finally set up the fax function on my all-in-one thinking I would write my own.

To my point....I have no misconceptions about politicians actually reading letters. I was always told that an aide or clerk actually reads them and keeps a tally of for/against.

Furthermore, the point should be made by the second sentence because often they will not read further.

Does a well thought out, well written letter carry any more weight than 'Please vote against any Senate rule changes'?

If yes, then I'll probably continue using pre-written letters.

Mike,

I usually write a one or two sentence introduction, stating my name, address, how long I've been a resident of state/district, etc. My second paragraph states the purpose of my letter, clearly stating my position (and how it affects me, my family, my community, etc.) and what actions I am asking him/her to take; I list any specific bills here and whether I'm for or against. Then I close the letter, asking to hear his/her position and reminding them that I vote in major, mid-term and primaries.

Most times I get a form-letter, but a couple of times I've got a personal response written by an aide... one time I got a call from got a call from an aide.

So, I'm of the opinion that a well-written -from the hearth- letter may make it further than a simple "please vote for/against" one-liner... and that it can really influence the representative.