Effective congressional lobbying on national legislative issues depends on a partnership at all League levels—lobbying in Washington and constituent lobbying at home. The Advocacy Department leads the organization’s federal lobbying work and provides information to state and local Leagues about advocacy priorities.
All action at the federal level must be authorized by the LWVUS board. This includes any effort aimed at influencing a decision on a federal issue, such as communicating with an elected or appointed official, joining a coalition, taking part in a press conference or rally, or writing a letter-to-the-editor. A state or local League wishing to work on a federal issue or at the national level on an issue that has not been the subject of an LWVUS Action Alert must consult with the LWVUS about the intended action. As part of this consultation process, the state/local League is asked to provide the following information in writing:
- The proposed action and the message to be conveyed;
- The LWVUS position on which the action is based; and
- Evidence that the issue is a priority for that state or local League.
If a local League is requesting permission to contact its U.S. Senator(s) on an issue that has not been the subject of an LWVUS Action Alert, it should provide evidence that the action has been authorized by its state League. Appropriate LWVUS Board and staff will review the action request to determine that it is consistent with League positions and that it will not interfere with LWVUS action on a priority issue.
