Writing to your state legislature is a good first step to channel your political frustration into real world change. A short email or letter, at most 10–15 minutes of your time, goes straight to the offices that decide on laws and budgets affecting your daily life. Unlike doom-scrolling or venting at news feeds, these messages get tallied, shared with lawmakers, and can directly influence whether a bill advances or dies. It’s a small action with far more impact than yelling at a screen.

Find your legislator

Massachusetts has a tool on their website which tells you who your local legislators are and how to contact them.

It’s as simple as plugging in your location data, drafting a message, and firing it off. When you do, be sure to be respectful, succinct, and clear.

Finding bills

A good first step to finding which bills are actually being worked on is to view the “Recent and Popular Bills” section of the Massachusetts legislature site. (This is also the source for the “Bill Watch” section of the site!)

Peruse titles for things that interest you, read the text of the bill (or find a summary), and dive into the issues that you want to have a small influence on.

Template

Use this as a starting point when drafting a letter; add your own touches as needed:

Subject: Please Support [Bill Number]

Dear [Representative/Senator] [Last Name],

I am a constituent from [your city/town]. I’m writing to ask you to support [Bill Number], which addresses [one-line description of what the bill does, e.g. “expanding access to affordable housing”].

This issue matters to me because [one sentence about why you care—personal, community, or practical impact].

Please vote in favor of [Bill Number]. Thank you for your work on behalf of our district.

Sincerely, [Your Name] [Your Address or ZIP Code]