The Pro-Vaccine Guide to Advocacy
As a South Dakotan, your opinion matters. Your senators and representatives in Pierre are counting on you to share your ideas, thoughts, and values on legislation so they can make the best possible decisions. The majority of South Dakota’s families are immunized and support strong public health laws, which is why it’s so important that our elected officials hear from us and not just a small but vocal minority of anti-vaccine activists.
Contacting Your Elected Officials
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Once you’ve identified your senators and representatives, you can call to let them know that you support strong vaccine laws.
Often, South Dakota Families for Vaccines will provide talking points. Sign up for updates or contact us for help with what to say.
Identify yourself and your town, and tell the legislator what they can do to help. Share briefly, and then listen. End with a thank you.
You may need to leave a message with their staff or on a machine. Be polite and include your name, town, concern, desired action, and a phone number.
Send a follow up email or letter.
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Handwritten letters are well received by legislators, but email works too!
Start with your personal contact information and use their title (Senator or Representative). Indicate that you are a voter in their district.
Describe your concern and the action you hope they will take. South Dakota Families for Vaccines Action Alerts will provide language you can use or adapt. Including a brief personal story about how the issue affects you or your family helps make your note memorable.
Ask for a response about their position on the issue, and always close with a thank you.
Writing a Letter to the Editor
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Refer to the editorial pages of your newspaper for specifications on writing letters to the editor and opinion pieces. Most papers have very strict word counts and will not consider letters or opinion pieces that are too long.
Note submission guidelines as well. Most papers require your first and last name and town or city, and many will contact you to confirm that you wrote the letter yourself.
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Your letter stands the best chance of getting printed when it responds to something recently printed in that newspaper—a news story, column, editorial. Use the reference to that item as a springboard for stating your case.
Your letter can support and expand on something already in the news, make a point that was omitted, or disagree with and correct misinformation in whatever form it appeared.
Don’t be afraid to ask for action—tell readers what you want them to do. This includes your elected representatives at the state and federal levels. You can be sure they read the letters to the editor.
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Use short punchy sentences and avoid big words. A catchy first line is helpful too.
Personalize your letter—tell a story or explain how the issue affects you, your family, or your community.
Be accurate and always cite your sources.
Take pains to be moderate and fair. This doesn’t mean you should be boring, but that you should write with the average person in mind, and use phrases and arguments that resonate with them.
Emphasize the positive. When you criticize, also propose a better alternative.
Don’t repeat claims made by opponents on your issue—you don’t want to contribute to the spread of misinformation.
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If your letter or opinion piece is published, congratulations! Share it widely with friends and family on social media, and encourage others to write their own letters.
If you’re not chosen, don’t give up. You can always call the paper and ask for feedback on your letter, or try another angle or time.
Submitting Testimony on a Bill
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Before a bill becomes a law, it must make its way through a lengthy legislative process.
Bills are discussed and voted on by legislative committees in both the House and Senate. Committees offer an opportunity for the public to provide input on proposed legislation before its members cast their votes. Public and written testimony are encouraged at a critical time, often just prior to a committee vote.
Your testimony can draw attention to critical issues, impact the opinions of committee members, dispel myths and misinformation, and ultimately influence the passage or failure of a bill.
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South Dakota Families for Vaccines will make you aware of upcoming legislation through calls to action. We’ll give you information on dates and times for public testimony and provide scripts or talking points.
Identify the issue you want to address. While there are many things you may want to share with the committee, stay focused on one key issue.
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Great testimony is clear and concise. It doesn’t have to be formal; speak from the heart, be kind, and tell the truth. South Dakota Families for Vaccines can provide you with talking points or a script.
Start your letter or memo with “Dear Honorable Members of [Insert Name] Committee.”
Introduce yourself, say that you are opposed to or supporting the bill, and explain why. If you have a personal story to share or a perspective based on your professional expertise, write about that.
We strongly recommend keeping your testimony under a page. Practice until you feel comfortable enough to speak from your heart and look up from the page.
End by asking the Committee to vote “ought not to pass” or to support the bill, and remember to say thank you for their consideration!
DO NOT include any information you do not want disclosed publicly.
If you’d like help with your statement, please contact us at info@sdfamiliesforvaccines.org.
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If you do not want to speak publicly about the legislation, you may submit a prepared statement about the issue under consideration by the committee.
If you include data or statistical information, identify the source.
South Dakota Families for Vaccines will include information about how to submit testimony in advance via email, and when to submit it to ensure it can be distributed to committee members prior to the meeting.
Meeting With Your Legislator
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South Dakota Families for Vaccines can help you identify your policymaker, identify your main concerns and message, request an appointment, practice for your meeting, and call to confirm your appointment.
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Introduce yourself and lead with a positive comment. Take initiative and state what you’d like to discuss and what action you’d like your policymaker to take.
Provide facts and a personal story to support those facts. Show how your issue will affect the policymaker’s local community. Be flexible, take notes, and try to stay on topic.
Allow time for questions, but don’t answer questions if you don’t know the answer. Offer to follow up with accurate information.
Provide material to support your position. South Dakota Families for Vaccines can provide fact sheets and information to share.
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Write down any questions or concerns stated by your legislator so you can follow up.
Always send a prompt thank you card or email reiterating your main point, reminding the legislator of any commitments they made, answering questions that came up, and thanking them for the opportunity to meet.
Share your experience with the South Dakota Families for Vaccines team, and let friends know how it went!