Lauren Smith: Joel, tell us about your book. 

Joel Blackwell: I used to be a newspaper editor at the Charlotte Observer and Miami Herald. I know that the coverage of politics is negative and inadequate. You don't see the stories about ordinary people making a difference or politicians with integrity trying to make things work (the vast majority). So I set out to correct people's impressions by interviewing volunteer advocates, politicians, their staff and lobbyists -- people actively making the system work. It is a reporter's approach. You can see some of the interviews in print and video on my web site. 

Keep on Voting After the Election

Joel Blackwell: No one took anyone's power away. People drop out through nonparticipation. All they do is whine. The people who feel they can't make a difference are usually people who haven't talked, written or phoned a politician. Ask all your friends if they have written or phoned a politician. Most have bought the media presentation that all is hopeless. Most people who get engaged and stay with it will tell you they have made a difference, that politicians want to hear from them, that politicians do respond and care. After all, they want to get elected or re-elected. 

Lauren Smith: What are some things people can do to exercise their political power?

Joel Blackwell: Find out the name of the person you can vote for at the appropriate level to handle your concern. Local, state or national. Just Google "find elected official by ZIP code." Call their office and ask who is handling your issue. It may be a staff person.

Fax the details of your concern and explain how you and others are affected. If you are writing about the war, Social Security or other global issues it really is difficult to get action, but if enough people write or call, you can move a mountain. Ten different, detailed, accurate personal letters from the district of a member of the U.S. House can move an issue to the front burner. Join an association or organization that is working on your issue nationally or statewide. You can move the people you vote for but probably no one else. You have to work with the people who vote for other elected officials to move them. Ask when your elected official will be near your home and ask for a meeting. If you want to talk about flying saucers, you may not get a meeting. But anything relevant is likely, although you need to be persistent. When you quit, you lose. 

Lauren Smith: Your book talks about letter writing, but how effective is that - really? Do letters actually make a difference to politicians? 

Joel Blackwell: You can't send postal mail to Congress anymore because it gets delayed in the security process, so faxes work best. State and national politicians do not get that much mail on a particular issue FROM THEIR CONSTITUENTS. They assume and will say that anyone who sits down and writes a personal letter represents at least 100-150 people who didn't take the time to write. They take THOUGHTFUL communications very seriously. A member of the U.S. House might not get 50 thoughtful communications a week from constituents. Sending a similar letter in a positive tone to the editor of a local newspaper can often get their attention. Politicians have a lot of people competing for their attention so you have to be persistent, patient and positive. Communicating with the ones who do not represent you is generally useless. 

Lauren Smith: Do you think the electoral process is outdated? Do you feel it still works for the people? 

Joel Blackwell: The most important change we need to make in elections is the way districts are drawn. We need to find a way to make them more competitive. The voters can make this happen, but, again, they are not voicing a concern. Voting -- and it is important to vote -- doesn't tell politicians what to do, it just puts them in office. You have to supervise them once they are elected. 

Lauren Smith: Tell us about your work, what led you to write this book? 

Joel Blackwell: I ran for the state legislature in North Carolina and was amazed at how hard it is to get people to care about issues, how few people actually discussed issues and how much I wanted to talk with those who were willing. I found out there has been a lot of study about how politicians make decisions and sensible communications from constituents are always the most influential. Nationally, depending on how you ask the questions, fewer than 1% of people communicate with elected officials. Those few drive public policy and anyone can join them, using the techniques in my book. This book will give people hope!

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