Who will my letter go to, and why those people?

After you sign in, the action window shows a short note explaining who receives your letter and why, followed by a list of Recipients with a check box next to each name.

When the page is about a bill

The recipients follow the bill through the legislature, because a letter matters most to the people who are about to act on it.

• While the bill is in a committee, the note reads something like "This bill is currently in the Judiciary Committee. Your message will go to committee members." The committee is deciding whether the bill moves forward, so its members are the ones to hear from you.
• Once the bill reaches the floor of a chamber, the note reads something like "This bill is on the Senate floor." Your letter goes to your own members in that chamber, the people elected from your district. If your district has more than one member, each one gets their own letter.

Organizations can also choose their own recipients for a bill page, in which case the note reads "Your letter goes to the officials below."

When the page is about an issue, not a single bill

The organization decides who the page writes to. That might be your own legislators, a committee, particular legislators, a group such as a chamber's leadership, the governor or another statewide official, or other recipients the organization added. Next to some names you will see a short reason they are on the list.

Members of Congress

A letter to Congress goes only to your own U.S. Representative and your two U.S. Senators, matched to your home address.

What the labels next to names mean

• via congressional delivery or via web form: we deliver the letter to that office for you.
• through the official web form: that office only takes letters through its own website form. You will copy your letter and paste it there yourself.
• No email: we have no way to reach that office yet, so it cannot be selected. You can still call or write to the office directly.
• Already written to: you have already written to that office at this stage of the bill.

Choosing recipients

Everyone you can reach is usually selected for you. Uncheck anyone you do not want to write to, or use Select All to check everyone again. Then choose Continue to Message.

If the list is empty or looks wrong

Recipients are matched to the address on your account. If you see "No recipients were found for this page," or the names do not look like your legislators, check your address on your Profile page. If you live outside the organization's state, its state legislators may not be among your recipients. Right after you sign up, it can take a few seconds to find your districts; if the list is empty, wait a moment and open the action window again.

If this does not solve it, contact the organization you signed up with. Their staff can reach us on your behalf.