Your voice on public policy carries beyond the voting booth. Regardless of how you feel about politics, the lasting legacy of our American system of representative democracy is that we the people are the bosses and elected officials are our employees. A little bit of guidance or encouragement from constituents can go a long way. It’s as easy as a quick local phone call that takes only a few minutes.
The key to getting your voice heard is by learning the right communication channels and how to navigate them. Many people do not even know how to contact their representatives for the same reason they might choose not to vote: They believe they can’t make much of a difference. But the relatively few people who do reach out have a better chance to influence public policy. The truth is it’s quick and easy to contact your officials, and the return you get for the few minutes you put in can lead to massive savings on business expenditures or taxes. Sometimes this influence can be even stronger if it is a constituent company or business reaching out, and stronger still if it’s an association with many members — like the Heating, Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Distributors International. This is what HARDI does on behalf of our members and the HVACR industry through our advocacy efforts.