How to Have a Successful District Office Visit

PREPARE

Make a plan with your group. Whether you are part of an Indivisible group, or not – taking actions as a collective is powerful. Grab some friends and get ready to go to your Member’s office. During a regular meeting or special planning meeting, review the below steps with your group and divide up responsibilities.

Find the right office. Every MoC lists the physical addresses of their district offices on their public website. You may have to poke around a bit, but it’s there. If you can’t find it, just give them a call and ask—the staff will be happy to tell you locations and hours. You should only visit Members who represent you as offices value constituent opinions – if you don’t know who your MoCs are you can learn here.
Pick a day to go. Pick a day and time between 9-5 when as many of the members of your group can participate as possible—for example, at the beginning of the day or during lunch hour. Members often travel on Monday or early Tuesday to get to DC, and return on Thursdays or Fridays pending legislative business. But even if they are not personally there, you can meet with their staff.
Don’t let “by appointment only” cramp your style. If your congressional office is listed as being open “by appointment only,” you can either call ahead to make one, or you can try just showing up. If you decide to just show up, be ready if the office is closed—plan a creative action your group can take a video of, or take a picture of the closed office and post it to social media.
Decide your “ask” and make it relevant. Congressional staff regularly take meetings with folks who want to talk about stuff that’s happening next month or next year. But a typical staffer can’t see much beyond today let alone beyond the next couple weeks. To make your visit count, focus on what Congress is working on now. This changes constantly, but we’ll be sending out regular email updates with suggestions on some issues to focus on. You can check our take action page for the latest priorities Indivisible is working on.
Tailor your approach based on your MoC. Whether you live in a red, purple, or blue district, all of our representatives need to hear from their constituents — because at the end of the day, no matter which side of the aisle they’re on, they work for YOU! Before your visit, talk to your group about your messaging and approach, depending on if you’re meeting with a Republican or Democratic MoC. Don’t assume they’re automatically with or against you on the issue — know your representative’s priorities and voting record so you can create a wedge to leverage and hold them accountable. You can check your MoC’s social media to see if they have recently commented on an issue, and their website to see if they have put out relevant press statements.

Advice from District Office Staffers

“I would focus on elevating compelling stories from the folks who have not been at every progressive rally, meeting, and sign waving street corner protest for the past 20 years.”

“Send an attendee list with a few sentences of a bio for each person, if possible. Definitely do this if the MoC is in the meeting.”

“Having a clear ‘ask’ is essential. A lot of times, when our office has meetings with constituent-led groups, we hear a lot of complaints however don’t receive actionable feedback or suggestions on what we could do to address those issues.”

Decide who you want to speak with and who from your group will talk. Your MoC likely won’t be in the local office, although you never know. The best person on their staff to meet with is the District/Office Director. You should first ask to meet with the MoC directly, and only accept a meeting with the District Director if the MoC is unavailable. They may try to get rid of you—don’t take “no” for an answer. If you show up in a group, they will be more likely to see you. Don’t let them pawn you off on an intern—they will try.
Assign speaking roles within your group so that individuals are prepared to cover the points they want to cover ahead of time. If you’re focusing on an issue that personally affects members of your group, then prioritize having them speak (if they are comfortable talking about it).

AT THE OFFICE

Establish your legitimacy. Introduce yourselves and your group. Identify yourselves as constituents and talk about where in the district or state you live.
Say what you stand for. For example, you could say that you are standing indivisible against the authoritarianism and unconstitutional actions of the Trump regime.
Stand Indivisible…literally. Many offices have been trying to break up large groups by bringing three or four people inside at a time. They’re trying to divide and conquer—the office thinks this will soften the impact of your protest. Don’t let them get away with it! If congressional staffers try this, demand that they bring everyone inside or have them send the MoC or staffer outside to meet with you there.
Focus on one issue and illustrate the impact. Make sure everyone in your group is aligned on one priority issue, and that they’re prepared to share both hard numbers and personal stories on why it matters. If this issue would affect you, your family, or your friends and neighbors, talk about how, and bring as many related metrics and quantitative data points as you can to back it up.
Don’t settle for non-answers. If congressional staff are dodging your question— if they say they have to check back and respond to you—be polite but firm. For example, you might say “I’m alarmed that Senator Myers hasn’t taken a position on this. We’ll be watching to see when he takes a position, and we’ll be back to let him know how we feel about it at that point.”
Close the meeting by planting your flag in the office. Not literally! But your MoC works for you. Say you will be coming back regularly to make sure the MoC is listening to you and representing their constituents. Get the contact information of everybody you talk to, and send a follow up email after.
Record it or it didn’t happen. Get a picture of your group at the office. Even better yet, get a video of your group before, during, and/or after. Be sure to ask for consent if you plan to take a photograph or video with the staffers. If they do not consent, do not force the issue, just get content with the group outside the office! Bottom line, your voice will be louder and better heard if you get documented evidence. If you’d like us to help amplify, send your media to press@indivisible.org. Include these three pieces of info in that email:
- Short description of photo/video
- Name of group with applicable links to social or web
- Names of people in the video/picture

A core principle behind all Indivisible events is a commitment to nonviolent action that is community-led and grounded in moral witness, public accountability, and collective care. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values, and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events. All events should be held in public spaces or on public property. Some State/District Offices are located in private buildings and are not considered “public property” for First Amendment protection purposes; please plan your event accordingly. Please follow all federal, state, and local regulations when planning your activity.

AFTER YOUR VISIT

Post photos and videos on social media. Send your pictures to press@indivisible.org as well.
Send a thank you letter. Particularly if you have a meeting with your MoC, send a thank you letter, reiterating briefly the main ask you discussed and thanking everyone for their time. This is why it is important to get everyone you meet with to share a business card, so you can follow up!
Debrief with your group. Discuss what went well and what you can do better next time. If you learned any relevant intel, share with your Indivisible National organizer so they can pass along to the national Policy Team.
Plan your next action. Figure out how you’ll keep up the momentum moving forward.

TIPS FOR REGULAR VISITS

Regular visits can have a huge impact. If your group has the capacity to send people once a week, your group’s presence will be felt in a big way, whether you’re welcomed in every time, stuck outside holding signs, or something in between.

Here are some tips from groups that have been making weekly visits:

Be persistent! Multiple groups have gone from protesting in a parking lot to being invited inside to have meetings with staff.
Have people take shifts. It doesn’t need to be the same people every time.
To avoid burnout, set end times for your visit to make it clear that no one is expected to linger all afternoon. (e.g. 12:00-12:30)
Make nice with the security and building management. It may pay off in the future. In one district, when a congressional office complained to a newspaper about its Indivisible visitors, the office’s building management told the paper the group was consistently polite and friendly. In another district, security personnel had our group’s back when their visits attracted conservative counter-protesters.
Regular office visits can be a big inconvenience. Make this a part of your message on social media. (e.g. I’m a single mom with a busy job. My lunch breaks are precious. I’d really like to share my story with Rep. Sara. I’m really disappointed her staff won’t give us a real meeting.)
Be appreciative of staff with thanks when they’re helpful.
Be polite to staff even if they are rude. If a staffer is initially frosty, they may well warm up when they realize your group is friendly and civil. They may have been told to beware of rude, aggressive protesters: prove them wrong. If a staffer is being repeatedly hostile, remember that they may be looking for an excuse not to engage with your group: don’t take the bait.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Problem: The staff have scheduled a meeting with us, but they’ve said that only 3 or 4 members of a group are allowed to attend a meeting in person, though the office could clearly accommodate a dozen of us in their conference room.

If the office is clearly enforcing an arbitrary cap on your group, point that out in person and online. District offices take meetings with big groups of visitors throughout the year. Ask the staff if they could clarify whether that cap applies to all visitors, and if not, why your group is being treated differently.

Problem: We can’t record video or take photos during our visits because the staff all insist they don’t want to be photographed, or because the office is in a federal building that restricts cameras.

There is a lot of content your group can create before and after a visit that has a big impact. Here are some examples that have garnered media attention on their own:

Take a cell phone video outside right after your visit, summarizing what happened.
Take group pictures outside by doors and signs.
If you’re delivering any items or letters, take photos in advance.

Problem: Our congressional office keeps asking us to submit a formal meeting request, but they never get back. They are clearly giving us the bureaucratic runaround.

Keep submitting those meeting requests as you’re asked to, and keep a record of them. Do it regularly but not too frequently, like once a week. You don’t need to change the message every time. The point is just to develop a record. In the future, your group might appear at another public event and learn that your MoC’s office has told the press that your group didn’t go through the proper channels to see them. If that happens, you’ll be able to say: “We’ve been submitting requests once a week for the past three months, exactly as directed.”

Problem: Our group has gone to our MoC’s office seeking a meeting, but we’ve been shut out multiple times and we’re getting fed up.

Persistence pays off! Some groups have had staff start to invite them in to speak after several weeks of not being allowed past the lobby. They’ve then had good meetings. Keep track, take photos each visit.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

📞 Do I need to call in advance if I’m going to a district/state office?

Nope! You can call ahead if you have a relationship with the office, but there’s no requirement to schedule a meeting. If staff tells you they can’t accommodate a visit on short notice, show up anyway. This is urgent, and we don’t have time to wait.

Note: Some district offices are located in privately-owned buildings and are not considered “public property” for First Amendment protection purposes; please plan your event accordingly. Building managers or property owners may ask you to leave the premises. In some cases, you would be considered trespassing if you remain. Indivisible supports lawful and nonviolent actions only. Please follow all federal, state, and local regulations when planning your activity.

Can I do a virtual visit?

We recommend in-person meetings. We realize weather conditions, mobility, and access to transportation can sometimes be a barrier to gathering in person. Every office has their own policy about constituent meetings. However, if you can’t go in person or arrange a virtual meeting, flood their offices with phone calls. A personal visit is harder to ignore, but calls can still make a huge impact.

How do I find my Members office?

If you don’t know who your Members are, start by searching based on your address here. Once you confirm who you are trying to meet with, visit their official website. Most offices will be listed at the bottom of the home page! If you can’t find it, just give them a call and ask—the staff will be happy to tell you locations and hours.