Become a Grassroots Lobbyist!

Letters, phone calls and emails from voters have a significant impact on the actions of elected officials. The ACLU of Virginia grassroots lobbying program is designed to keep voters informed about select bills in the Virginia General and to encourage these voters to express their views to their representatives in the House of Delegates and the Senate.

How the Grassroots Lobbying Program Works

During the 45 or 60 day legislative session, grassroots lobbyists receive regular legislative summaries listing the status of bills identified by the ACLU of Virginia staff as potentially impacting our civil liberties. Grassroots lobbyists also receive, as needed, “action alerts” on particular bills that require immediate attention. A typical action alert describes the bill in question, indicates the ACLU’s position on the bill, provides talking points to use in communications with legislators, and identifies key legislators to be contacted.

Each year at the beginning of the legislative session, usually about mid-January, the ACLU of Virginia provides each grassroots lobbyist with a copy of our “General Assembly At-A-Glance,” which includes listings of contact information on legislators, committee assignments, important dates and deadlines, and other useful information about the legislature.

After each session, grassroots lobbyists receive -- in addition to our gratitude -- a copy of the ACLU of Virginia’s review of the General Assembly session. (To see our review of the 2007 session, click here.)

To sign up now, click on the button below.