Ever wonder how legislators decide which laws to prioritize? Your elected officials are chosen to represent your interests — but they can only do that if you tell them what matters.
No matter where you live, and no matter what time of year, you have the chance speak up for Puget Sound, its tributaries, and all the waters of our state.
Follow these steps to let your elected officials know that protecting Puget Sound must remain a top priority year round:
Step 1: Find out what legislative district you live in using this tool. After typing in your address and hitting the yellow “Find my district” button, the # of your legislative district will appear. This site will generate a list of the state Senator and Representatives elected to represent your district.
Step 2: After hitting the “Find my district” button and receiving the list of your elected officials, click each of their names and follow the links to their individual websites. There you can find contact information for their offices (emails and phone numbers).
OR: Call 800-562-6000 to leave a brief message for your state Senator and Representatives. Make sure to say your legislative district when you call, so the operator knows where to pass the message to.
What should I say?
At a loss for words? Keep it simple! Follow this short script when writing an email or leaving a message:
Hello,
My name is ___________ and I live in legislative district _____.
I believe protecting Puget Sound and our state’s waters is critical. I hope you will join me in supporting the following:
– Set a timeline ASAP for the ban of 6PPD in tires, a chemical that is toxic to our salmon and fish
– Create a bottles and cans recycling refund system
– Reduce plastic waste in the environment by updating the state’s plastic bag ban
– Help the WA Attorney General bring justice to intentionally polluting companies
– Protect HEAL Act funding from future budget cuts
– Protect funding for the Department of Natural Resource’s Derelict Vessel Removal Program
– Designate the sixgill shark as the state shark of WA
Does emailing or leaving a message actually work?
Yes! The person on the other end keeps careful track of how many calls come in for each priority and sends this data directly to your legislators’ offices.
Puget Soundkeeper’s team in Olympia will then reinforce these messages during our lobby meetings.
This is a team effort and we couldn’t do it without you!
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Want to learn more about state policy but not sure where to start? Puget Soundkeeper’s eyes and ears in the Capitol will keep you in the loop!
Visit our legislative landing page for more information and sign up for our email list and follow us on social media to get monthly updates and be the first to know about future ways to take action.