Attending a Town Hall 

Read this Guide in Spanish here: Lee esta Guía en Español aquí

Note: Town halls will be different depending on who is hosting the event. Elected officials sometimes hold town hall meetings to hear from members of their community about the issues that matter most to them. Sometimes they are also hosted by candidates running for office, as a way to speak more about their issues. Sometimes when key elected officials are not holding town halls, activists will hold “empty chair town halls.” Attending any event like this gives you an opportunity to ask questions to key decision makers about your issue and campaign.

Why is attending a town hall an effective tactic?

• It’s an opportunity to speak directly to elected officials about your issues, campaign, or any objectionable policies of the Trump administration. You can share your personal story, the brief background of your campaign, and most importantly -- ask a question of your elected official in front of a large crowd.
• You can generate more pressure on your targets by getting press coverage on your issues. If your event is hosted by an elected official, there will likely by local press and even national media covering the event. If you share your compelling story, show up with a large group, or otherwise make a lasting impact, you could get press coverage.
• You can recruit others to join your campaign. At the town hall there will be others from your community who care enough to take a few hours to hear from elected officials, and therefore will likely be open to meeting you, signing a petition and learning more about your campaign.

Before the Town Hall

Find an upcoming town hall event to attend -

• For all elected officials - call their district office to ask when their next town hall is. If there is none planned, encourage them to schedule one and ask how to stay informed about upcoming events.
• For Members of Congress you can look at map.peoplepower.org, where we add events from Town Hall Project.   

Recruit others to join you -

• If you’re organizing a group to attend a town hall with you, post the event to map.peoplepower.org, share it with your network, recruit family, friends, and neighbors to join you, and confirm all the details with attendees beforehand.  
• "If you're attending as an individual, that's great, too. Where a t-shirt, button or carry a sign that indicates your point of view and it will make it easier to connect with other like minded people at the event.

Prepare your questions -

• Consider scheduling  an organizing meeting in advance of the Town Hall to agree on a clear request you want to make of your elected official, outline questions your group will ask, and set up a plan to arrive together. Be sure to post your organizing meeting on the People Power map.
• Prepare several questions for members of your group to ask. Focus on your elected officials record or statements they’ve made on the topic. If you have a personal connection to the issue, be sure to share your personal story briefly.
• Many town halls have a limit of 3 minutes for each comment. If this is the case, practice your comment to ensure you can stay within this time limit.
• Write down your questions so you are prepared the day of.

Note: if you are attending a member of Congress’s town hall not about a specific People Power campaign, but about general issues happening at the moment - use Members of Congress Town Hall Guide: What to Know and Ask about issues Congress is considering now.

During the Town Hall

Have Your Question(s) Ready. When it’s your turn to ask a question, remember to introduce yourself, let your elected official know you’re volunteering with People Power, and keep it clear and concise.

Stay afterward to meet new people. You may feel the need to leave after you ask a question, but try to stay for the entire town hall--even if it runs over time. You should listen to what others have to say the same way they listened to you. Town halls are the ideal place for you to meet others in your community who share the same opinions as you. Take this opportunity to introduce yourself, tell them how you got involved, give them information on People Power, and ask if they would be interested in joining your local People Power group. If they are, don’t forget to take their contact information!

After the Town Hall

Share pictures and video on social media. Continue to amplify the issues you raised by sharing on social media.

Plan your next tactic and event! At this town hall you may have brought this issue to your elected official for the first time, gained press coverage, and found new activists to work with. Continue your good work and plan your next action. Be sure to post it to the People Power map!

Report back to People Power by filling out this form.

Please note: As a People Power activist, you don’t represent the ACLU as an organization. You represent your own causes as a concerned constituent and community stakeholder. This is critical to our strength as a movement: As you work on your Freedom Cities campaign, Let People Vote campaign, and other causes, your voices will be stronger as representatives of your community. If anyone is looking for a comment about a formal ACLU position, you can refer them to info@peoplepower.org and we can contact the appropriate ACLU representative.