Tips and talking points for contacting legislators

OVERVIEW

The Wyoming Legislature is considering a bill that would censor books that certain lawmakers don't like. Worse, the bill would punish librarians and educators, and infringes on parental rights in our communities.

Learn more about the background of this issue here: Book ban clears Wyoming House (Laramie Reporter)

Read the proposed bill here: House Bill 10

 

STRATEGY: NUMBERS MATTER

When it comes to contacting Wyoming state senators, numbers matter.

Since this issue of book banning has been a hot button topic for years at the Legislature, lawmakers have heard most of the different arguments for and against banning books. The chances of any of us swaying them with our particular story or perspective is low.

Most lawmakers in the Senate don't want to ban books or are on the fence, but they are afraid of being attacked by the people who support book bans. We need as many people as possible to let our senators know that the people of Wyoming will have their back if they vote against this harmful, backwards legislation. 

Many lawmakers are concerned with parental rights that are threatened by the government preemptively banning books. Consider including this perspective in your message, especially if you are a parent yourself.

Do not spend 20 minutes crafting your email. Instead, spend 5 minutes writing it and 15 minutes sending this link to other people in Wyoming asking them to speak up: https://betterwyo.org/book-ban-call-to-action/

 

INSTRUCTIONS: HOW TO USE OUR FORM

The form on this page will send your email directly to your local state senator.

You will write your own personal message on page 2 where it says "[DELETE THIS TEXT AND INSERT YOUR OWN MESSAGE HERE]".

Don't hit "Send" until you're done writing your message.

PRO TIP: The email subject is pre-filled to say "Constituent email: Vote NO against the book ban (HB-10)." Change the subject to something else just slightly different, so that lawmakers can see that our messages are not spam—they are from hundreds of individuals contacting them. Make sure you include something in the subject that indicates the email is coming from a constituent.

 

YOUR MESSAGE

Keep it simple. Your message should contain three short parts.

1. Who you are: My name is ______. I am a voter in your senate district.

2. What you want: I am writing today to ask you to vote against reconsideration of House Bill 10, which bans books in public and school libraries.

3. Why you want it: Include a few (brief!) lines about why you think this is important.

 

TALKING POINTS

First and foremost, our messages must be RESPECTFUL AND POLITE—not for the sake of being nice, but for the sake of being effective. Rude or angry messages will work against us!

Avoid words like “obscene” or “obscenity”. Instead, call this what it is: censorship and book banning.

Again, we suggest keeping your message brief. Here are some points you might include:

• Book-banning takes control and freedom away from our communities.
• Our hardworking community librarians are committed to providing the best, most appropriate resources for Wyoming families.
• Book-banning weakens our public schools and libraries: things that Wyomingites value and are already concerned about the future of.
• Book-banning is government overreach and violates parental rights.
• Wyoming families should have the right to make decisions for their children—library policies and state legislation should support parental choice, not override it.
• Decisions about what children should or should not read should primarily rest with parents and guardians, not the state. Parents are in the best position to understand the needs, maturity, and interests of their children, and should have the ability to guide their children’s reading choices.
• Public libraries should provide a wide range of materials for all ages, but it’s ultimately up to parents to decide what their children should be exposed to, in collaboration with the educational resources available.

SHARE THIS LINK

No matter how passionate or reasonable your individual argument, that’s not what is going to make an impact.

Only sheer numbers have the ability to convince lawmakers who are on the fence that the people of Wyoming have their back when it comes to opposing book bans.

Send this link to 10 (or 100!) other people in Wyoming and ask them to speak up in support of funding our Wyoming public schools along with you!

SHARE THE LINK: https://betterwyo.org/book-ban-call-to-action