4-H Day - Legislator Visiting Tips

How can you have a successful visit to your state legislators? Follow our handy tips and you'll have a great visit!

Know Your Legislators' Names
You need to know who your legislators are. If you don't know who your state representative or senator are, check out the Florida House of Representatives  and Florida Senate websites. They should also be listed in your phone book in the blue pages government section. Make sure you learn your representative and senator's names.

Call Ahead
You (or your 4-H Agent) should call your representative or senator's staff and let them know that you will be in town on April 5th or 27th to attend 4-H Day at the State Capitol (or perhaps your club leader or 4-H agent will help with this) and UF Day in Tallahassee. Tell them that you would like to stop by his/her office to talk about 4-H and your 4-H experiences. Often the legislator and his/her staff will be glad to schedule some time for you to meet with him/her. They may even want to take your picture with the representative or senator (that's part of why looking nice is so important). 

Dress (and Act) the Part
If you want your concerns to be taken seriously, then you must dress and act the part. You should try to dress neatly and look like you take this legislative visit seriously. Remember to always be very polite and use your best manners when talking to the legislator or his/her staff on the phone or in person (yes ma'am, no ma'am, yes sir, no sir language is appropriate for this situation). 

Be Brief, Be Specific, Be Remembered
Your representative or senator will be very busy on April 5th and 27th. Shake his/her hand and introduce yourself. Just talk to him/her like you are talking to an ordinary person. If you want to talk to the legislator about 4-H, think ahead of time about what you want to say to him/her. Tell them about your 4-H project and what 4-H means to you. If you are thinking about a career in government or politics someday, you might want to ask him/her some questions about his/her job - what they like or don't like about it.  If you like, take along a picture of you at a 4-H activity or with your 4-H project to leave with your legislator and his staff to remember you by. 

Say Thank You
Remember to send a thank you note to the legislator and his/her staff after you get home. 

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