Pretty much as I figured. Stick around long enough and one will see similar policies again and again.
Contacting legislators is a good start but email carries the least clout as it is so simple and easy to use; especially the form letters that some organizations put out for responders to click on. This is basically thought of as junk mail by most legislators. Just look at what one gets back when an email is sent- typically a generic form letter.
Far more effective is a phone call as that requires more time on behalf of the petitioner. Greater importance is put on a phone call as those willing to do so are also more inclined to motivate themselves into action regarding the policy in question. It can also be a force multiplier on the state and local levels as 2-3 legislators often share a secretary. 3 calls to each individual legislator then translates into 6-9 as they often ask how many calls on a given subject and the aggregate is given rather than the individual. A hot topic on the state level gets 5 phone calls so anything to push that number up helps focus attention on the dispute.
If one really wants to get an elected official's attention, first email, then make a phone call and reference your email, followed by a letter referring back to both the email and phone call. Letters are more likely to be considered than a phone call as it requires more effort.
