Most of us think about contacting our state Representative and Senator when the legislature is in session during the first few months of every year. It makes sense. That is when our elected officials are considering how to vote on bills and when state lawmakers are most often in the news. You may be surprised to learn, though, that the most effective time to advocate with your legislators is between now and the end of October.

During the legislative session, your legislators are swamped by the sheer number of bills they have to consider. In 2025, there were 689 bills proposed in the House and 543 in the Senate. Legislators also spend a lot of their time during session meeting with each other – Committee hearings, their caucus meetings, and floor sessions. 

It's much easier to have meaningful conversations with legislators outside of session when they are back home in your local area. Since there are no bills under consideration, you could choose to have a discussion with them that leans more into your values than one centered on the text of a specific piece of legislation.

So, if there isn’t a specific bill to discuss what would you talk about? One of the easiest things to discuss is how your legislator already voted on bills that are important to you. Each year, the ACLU of IN releases a legislative scorecard. In this year’s scorecard, we detail how the 150 members of the Indiana General Assembly voted on six bills. We share whether they voted with us on making it easier to access fentanyl test strips and other common-sense safety tools – or against us on diversity programs or rights for minors and students, immigrants, voters, and transgender Hoosiers. If any of these bills are important to you, you can use your legislator’s vote to start a conversation.

In addition to, or instead of discussing specific bills, you can ask them more about themselves and their values. Even if it is a legislator who votes against your positions on bills, you can see if there are values you share that can serve as a point of agreement. You may also find that someone who disagrees with you about 90% of the issues, agrees with you on one thing that is important to you. And that one thing can be a way to build a relationship with them over time that helps you move them on certain issues where you currently disagree.

If you aren’t interested in meeting with your legislators, no problem. Sending them an email is another way to make sure your voice is heard. Concise emails that identify you as someone living in the legislator’s district, clearly explain the issue you’re concerned about, and share why this issue is important to you are ones that are most likely to have an impact.

Contacting your legislator is easy. Begin by entering your address here. Once you do, you’ll get links to your elected representatives’ official pages. From their official page, you can use their contact form to request a meeting.

Of course, contacting them doesn’t guarantee a meeting (if you’re asking for one). You’ll improve your chances if you have already gotten some friends or neighbors to agree to go with you or if you belong to a civic group on whose behalf you can request the meeting. If so, share the number of people or the name of the group in your original outreach. And, if you haven’t heard back in about two weeks, call the phone number on their official page. You’ll most likely go to voicemail, but their legislative assistant will check your legislator’s messages once a day or so. And then call every week or so until you get a response.

Reaching out to, and especially meeting with, elected officials can be intimidating for many. But remember – they work for you, whether you voted for them or not. And don’t be discouraged if the response you receive isn’t exactly what you hoped for. Making Indiana a better place to live for all Hoosiers will take time and effort – but it is worth the fight.