[porknubbins]

This is what I have never understood about calling congress people. Why would they listen to a random person? If you have some clout or are an expert on a niche issue sure. But I just feel like if you’re a nobody why would they trust you.

[nostrademons]

They aggregate the responses and tally them up statistically. The assumption is that for every person who bothers to call in, 10+ people, perhaps even hundreds, feel the same way. (I assume they'd model based on the relative number of total calls across all issues vs. voters in the district). Then this becomes data for the representative to know how their constituents feel about the issue.

The rep isn't going to listen to you specifically - you get a form letter back (sometimes years later), and the only thing that matters is the issue and whether you're yay or nay. But because so few people call in, it makes your opinion (on that issue, at least) weight much more highly than the average voter.

[gretch]

Well because those constituents vote for them and they have to win elections. If they don't listen, they will literally be voted out by those same people (assuming there is significant volume)

[teamspirit]

I believe you're mistaken in thinking that calling your rep doesn't matter. They keep track of what their constituents call them about, totaling it up at the end of the week or month.

It's one of the ways they keep track of what their voters care about.

This was from a friend who interned there 20 years ago, things may have changed.

[grotorea]

I assume it's simply a matter of caring about voter opinions. The one that bothered to complain is presumed to represent the 1000s who care about the issue but not enough to call.

[underseacables]

Early in my career, I interned for a member of Congress. Calling your member of Congress does absolutely nothing. An intern, or a staff assistant, takes down your information and someone called a legislative correspondent responds to you, but signs the members name to the bottom of it.

[jltsiren]

I guess it's a feature of single-representative districts. Loud voices at the margins can matter, if losing a small number of votes may lose you the election.

The dynamics are different with proportional representation. You care more about keeping your core supporters happy, because the random people opposing something loudly will probably vote someone else anyway.

[flandish]

They won’t start listening until we remind them in ways they can actually relate to.