Public Health Advocacy 101
- Shamini V De Silva
- Dec 19, 2025
- 5 min read
How Do We Advocate for Public Health STEP-by-STEP
Table of Contents:
Advocating for Public Health
Advocate Now! Advocating is when you share your views and expertise with elected officials. Advocating includes education (non-lobbying) and lobbying.
Elected officials want to hear from you. All elected officials in the U.S. have systems for gathering data on the issues that matter to constituents. Elected officials will vote with constituents more often than not (Study: Politicians Vote Against the Will of Their Constituents 35 Percent of the Time - ProMarket).
Your outreach is a datapoint, and that's ok. A staff member is likely the one who will answer your call, see your emails, and gather interesting stories. Data from all constituents are combined so elected officials can see trends.
Types of outreach (from good to best): 📧stock email < 💌personalized email < ☎️phone call < 👋visit in person.
Am I allowed to Advocate?
Know your Rights and Worksite Rules.
Your Individual Rights. As a citizen, you have a constitutionally protected right to contact your government (Right to petition in the United States - Wikipedia) .
Worksite Rules. If you are taking action during work hours, using work property or resources, and/or being paid to act on behalf of an organization, please check your employer's rules and restrictions.
Government Employees. Rules around lobbying and electioneering likely apply if you are on duty and using government property or government resources. Check with your employer.
U.S. Non-profit 501(c)3 organizations. Spending limits are set by the IRS for 501(c)3 non-profits for lobbying (Lobbying | Internal Revenue Service). Electioneering is prohibited by the IRS (Restriction of political campaign intervention by Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations | Internal Revenue Service).
Other rules may apply, check with your employer especially if you are taking action during the workday or using work property or resources.
LINGO 101: What is “Advocacy”?
Advocacy is when we reach out to elected officials and encourage others to do the same. It can include lobbying and non-lobbying education (The NACCHO Advocacy Toolkit). A slightly different, and related, term is electioneering, which is related to political campaigns.
Lobbying vs. Non-Lobbying Education
Lobbying is asking an elected official to vote Yes/No on a bill, a budget, or piece of legislation. "Grassroots lobbying" is when you ask others, "Please reach out to your elected officials and urge them to vote Yes/No on a bill." Grassroots lobbying is still lobbying.
Non-Lobbying Education. Any communication with an elected official not tied to a particular bill or piece of legislation: Sharing lived experiences, information, statistics, how much could be accomplished with additional funding (The NACCHO Advocacy Toolkit).
Electioneering vs. Civic Education
Electioneering is when you ask the voting public to vote For/Against a candidate, political party, or ballot measure. This includes providing information meant to sway public opinions on a candidate. These rules apply specifically to political candidates, and not to officials who are not currently running for office.
Civic Education is sharing information with others in how to register to vote, the importance of voting, and/or how to reach out to elected officials in general.
🏁 Getting Starting
STEP 1. WHO are my elected officials?
Who represents you? Know your elected officials.
Take note
Who are your officials at the state and national-level and in the different branches of government?
STEP 2. HOW do I contact my elected officials?
Just do it
Visit, ☎️Call, or 💌email your officials. All elected officials must be reachable by their constituents and must have ways to record constituent input. Simply reach out.
** Please know your workplace rules. Your job may have restrictions during work hours and with using work property and resources. This is not legal advice.**
Tools to Help
Many tools exist for finding contact information for your elected officials. Here are 2 tools that will send messages on your behalf. We do not endorse any one tool.
#1 Contact My Politician
About. Contact My Politician is a website where you can find and send messages to your elected officials
PROs & CONS
CONS. Login needed to send messages
PROS. Can contact many officials simultaneously ☎️☎️
HOW-TO STEPS. On the Contact My Politician webpage, type in your street address, select the officials you want to contact and compose a letter. Login may be needed.
#2 Resistbot
About. Resistbot is a text-based app for mobile devices
PROS & CONS
CONS. Text fees may apply, no opportunity to learn about or directly converse with elected officials
PROS. Easy way to contact many officials simultaneously from your phone
HOW TO. (Instructions from website) Send the word “resist” to Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, or by text to “50409” and answer the questions texted back.
HOW to Phrase it
Be polite, personalize the message, and make it relevant to them by saying you are a voter in their district. You’ll be asked to include your address to prove you are a constituent. See Section on ✏️Sample Messages
STEP 3. WHEN should I contact my elected officials?
Is it URGENT?
Go to GovTrack to see Bills in the U.S. Congress https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/
> Click on Bill > Click “Call or Write Congress” (see picture above)
If URGENT, contact now.
Call, email, or use an app or contact tool. If during work hours, using work resources, or advocating on behalf of an organization, first check your worksite rules.
If NOT URGENT
Use contact info to introduce yourself, share what matters to you, and/or simply say "thank you".
Reminders
Vote. Being a voter strengthens your voice when you reach out to elected officials. Your ballot is private, BUT whether or not you vote is in the public record. Elected officials will check to see if you are:
Registered to vote
An active voter
Living in the district they represent
Register to Vote. If you are not yet registered to vote, but are eligible, you can check your voter registration status and register here: https://www.vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote/
Support GovTrack on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/govtrack
Examples Text Here
> Introduction - Just say hi or thank you
Dear Senator (or Representative),
My name is ___ and I am a voter in your district. I wanted to reach out and say thank you for supporting evidence-based solutions to public health. As a professional in the field, that support means a lot to me. I have personal experience in how public health has made a difference in my life …
> Non-Lobbying Education
Dear Senator (or Representative),
My name is ___ and I am a voter in your district. I wanted to reach out and say thank you for supporting evidence-based solutions to public health. Did you know that for every dollar spent on public health, an estimated $5 is saved? (Source: Spend a Dollar, Save More Than a Dollar—Public Health - PA TIMES Online) I think it makes good financial sense to support public health.
> Lobbying
Dear Senator (or Representative),
My name is ___ and I am a voter in your district. I am writing to urge you to please vote YES/NO on BILL X or APPROVE/REJECT BUDGET X …
Letter Writing Steps
Please note: This toolkit is for civic education only and should not be considered legal advice. While we are passionate about civic rights and advocacy, we are not lawyers. Know your worksite and local rules.
Author: Tracy Flood MD PhD (LinkedIn)
