If, prior to a vote, the legislator remains clearly opposed, it may be worth it to remind the legislator of the strength of your position and the fact that his/her vote on the issue matters to you. While you may not change the vote, you may influence the legislator to opt to do the following:
- Decline invitations to sign a “Dear Colleague” letter circulating in opposition to your position.
- Refrain from making floor speeches against your position—the fewer speeches in the record of a legislative body that go against the issue you care about, the better.
- Hang back from organizing their colleagues in the state delegation to oppose your position.
If, by your lobbying, you convince your legislator to be a less vocal opponent, you have helped your cause. Advocacy is often as much about tempering or modifying opposition behavior as it is about obtaining favorable votes.
