Families USA Develops, Launches New Tool to Help Advocates Share Concerns with Elected Officials

First Use: Engage Elected Officials in Securing High-Quality, Affordable Health Care

The following is the statement of Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA, on the development by the organization of a social media tool that expands the power and reach of Twitter to enable health care activists to simultaneously contact a broad number of elected officials:

“In the past year, national and state advocacy organizations have leveraged Twitter as a tool to engage and petition elected officials in new ways, capitalizing on its disproportionate influence on legislators.

“However, until now, Twitter petitions could be easily targeted only at one official, limiting the reach of activists who wanted all of their state and federal officials to know where they stand on important issues.

“To address this limitation, Families USA developed a first-of-its-kind Twitter tool. Similar to traditional email-based petitions, our tool will allow activists to enter their zip code and target their elected officials—U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives, governors, attorneys general, state senators, and state representatives—through Twitter.

“With each tweet, activists simultaneously sign our Twitter petition and message their elected officials in support of their health care rights. It is truly a 'one-stop shop' on Twitter to urge officials to move forward and implement the health care law.

“Through extensive research on the part of Families USA's staff, we have compiled a list of nearly 2,000 elected officials’ Twitter handles, which is one of the most extensive lists of elected officials’ Twitter names.

“We are thrilled that a tool that is expanding the limits of online advocacy is also protecting and enhancing the health of America’s seniors, people with disabilities, children, and their families.”

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Families USA is the national organization for health care consumers. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan and advocates for high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

1201 New York Avenue NW, Suite 1100 · Washington, DC 20005
202-628-3030 · Email: info@familiesusa.org · www.familiesusa.org