Give Your Elected Officials a Piece of Your Mind
Your elected officials work for you, and you should be in touch with them on a regular basis. Never underestimate the power of a constituent call — every office tallies the daily calls and makes note of the hot topics. Even on those rare occasions when a politician is doing everything right in your eyes, reach out to say thank you and “stay strong”!
RESISTBOT
Resistbot is the easiest way to get in touch with federal and local officials. It’s a free service that’s available 24/7, so if you think of something in the middle of the night, go for it. The bot will help you find your representatives and walk you through the messaging steps. Get started …
By phone: Text the word RESIST to 50409.
On Twitter: Direct message Resistbot.
On Facebook: Use Messenger.
Telegram: Start here.
MAKE A CALL
A lot of people are phone-shy these days, but that makes a call even more impactful. Staffers know you mean business when the phone is ringing all day. As few as 10 phone calls can make a difference! When elected officials have multiple district offices, you can call any one of those — it doesn’t matter where you live. Hot tip: Save these phone numbers in your contacts list, so you don’t have to keep looking them up!
Federal officials
Senator Chuck Schumer
New York City office: 212-486-4430
Washington, D.C., office: 202-224-6542Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
New York City office: 212-688-6262
Washington, D.C., office: 202-224-4451To find your Congressperson, click here.
New York State officials
Governor Kathy Hochul
Albany, N.Y.: 518-474-8390To find your State Senator, click here.
To find your State Assemblymember, click here.
New York City officials
To find your City Council Member, click here.
Voting Resources
Check your voter registration. Even if you’ve been registered for decades, voter purges happen in New York just like they do in other states. Make sure you haven’t been wrongly removed from the voter rolls.
Find your poll site. As above, even if you’ve been voting at the same site for decades, changes are sometimes made. Avoid frustration by confirming your site before you go. Also, early voting will NOT be at the usual poll site for many people.
Election dates (please note that starting in October 2019, New York has early voting, so you will have over a week to vote rather than one day.)
Familiarize yourself with your ballot before you head to the polls.
Run for Something!
Think you can do a better job than the people currently in office? Good! The Run for Something Action Fund site will give you a list of state legislative and local offices for which you’re eligible to run based on your current address.
Shop Carefully
Corporations pour money into politics. Many companies that announce progressive stances actually donate to both Democrats and Republicans. That way, they can’t lose. Don’t fall for their reputation-laundering efforts. Use these tools.