1. Know the name of the office scheduler. This is the only person in the office who will be able to take your request for a meeting and this is whom you ask for by name when you call. When you send your letter of request, you should put it to the attention of this person to ensure that it gets to the appropriate desk for review.

2. Be prepared to fax information to the scheduler for their review. This correspondence should provide a brief background of why you want to meet with the official and when. It is important to mention that you a constituent, and while it is okay and usually helpful to sate the issue you’d like to discuss, you should not be too opinionated on that issue in your letter. Click hear to see a sample meeting request letter.

3. Keep in mind that officials have very busy schedules, so it is recommended that you only ask to meet with them for a 15-30 minute time slot. It is recommended that you fax your meeting request before calling so that the scheduler has time to look at the official’s schedule and availability.

4. Next, call the scheduler, introduce yourself, mention that you are a constituent of representative X, and let him/her know that you are following up on a request to meet with X in the district office. Let the scheduler know when, exactly, you faxed your request, so that they are more easily able to locate it.

5. Sometimes requests are lost in the chaos that typifies elected officials scheduling offices. If the scheduler says that he/she did not receive your fax or cannot find it, don’t panic! Calmly suggest that you can re-fax the same document or can send it via email if that is the most convenient.

6. If the scheduler tells you that the office needs more time to assess your representative’s availability on that day, let him/her know that you will follow up by calling back in another few days. Keep on them!

7. Schedulers have many, many requests coming through the office, so in order to ensure that you are not forgotten or  your request gets buried under a stack of other papers, do follow-up and call again.

8. Finally, thank the scheduler for his/her time and express that you appreciate the opportunity to meet with your official.

9. After the visit, be sure to send your elected official a thank you letter. Click here to view a sample thank you letter.

If you would like assistance scheduling a visit, please feel free to contact us.