'5 Calls' site makes calling representatives easy for people who hate talking on the phone
If you're a blue state voter who's spent any time on Facebook in the past few months, you've probably been overwhelmed by caps lock Facebook posts begging you to call your representatives.
The posts can feel simultaneously redundant and contradictory — call your senator to oppose Betsy Devos..no wait, send Paul Ryan a postcard first! — and render some of us completely impassive. A new site, "5 Calls," aims to make calling that much easier, giving users easy one-minute scripts they can read to their representative each week.
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For people who hate talking on the phone to their own mother, forget chatting with strangers. "5 Calls" provides users with a list of at least five calls they can make each week. It also provides users with sample scripts.
All users need to do is type in their zip code, which will get them their representatives' phone numbers and information. There are, thankfully, different scripts for different zip codes. There's no need to call your Democratic senator if he or she has already opposed repealing the Affordable Care Act, for example. But that doesn't mean there aren't calls to be made. Even the most liberal senators can still make bizarre choices (cough cough, Elizabeth Warren).
Occasionally, the site will give users several numbers to call, including their senators and their representative in congress. The site was designed by a group of five volunteers.
Former Congressional staffer Emily Ellsworth recommends that concerned Americans call, not email their representatives. Representatives will often tally calls from their constituents and use them to guide and prioritize policy.
It's hard to imagine how picking up the phone and talking to people — admittedly, a traumatic act — could get easier than this.
