Make It Ring

How phones can derail MAGA before the midterms.

For many of us, the phrase “call your representatives” instantly elicits an epic eye-roll. Please.

Like they sit down every night with a stack of “While you were out” slips, and tally up the day’s big issues. And then that’s how they vote the next day, gtfoh.

But what if I told you there’s a way to leave a voicemail that’s practically diabolical. In addition to jamming their call log and monopolizing their staff’s time, your voicemail message can demand specific, measurable actions they probably don’t want us to know about.

Democrats may claim they can’t really do anything until they control Congress again, but both chambers have tools available that a minority can use to slow the abuse of authority down. There are ways to apply pressure, and make the exercise of illegitimate power as difficult and costly as possible, even if there aren’t enough votes to stop it outright.

Gridlock is the Game

The Senate, for example, runs on an enormous number of formal rules and rituals. In practice, almost all of that is bypassed through something called “unanimous consent”. Leadership asks the chamber for permission to skip steps, bundle actions together, and move quickly. Usually it’s a formality. No one objects. Things hum along.

But if even one senator withholds consent, the shortcut disappears. Suddenly, routine actions that normally take seconds can take hours or days. Documents have to be entered one at a time. Motions have to be voted on individually. Procedures that are usually waved through must be fully performed.

Dozens of administrative tasks rely on unanimous consent every single day — approving the previous day’s journal, referring bills to committees, entering statements into the record. If Democrats forced full procedure on each one, the Senate calendar would explode.

And there’s a cumulative effect. A chamber that normally processes dozens of items in a day slows to a crawl. Leadership has to burn floor time on process instead of substance. Schedules become unpredictable. Senators can’t plan travel. Weekends disappear. The Senate becomes a place no one wants to be.

One Thing After Another ❌❌❌

That’s real leverage — but wait, there’s more. Any senator can demand a quorum call, which halts business while every senator’s name is read aloud and recorded. That alone can chew up significant time, and it can be done repeatedly.

They can also demand recorded votes instead of voice votes on almost anything. Each one takes a minimum of fifteen minutes, usually longer. Senators can insist that bills be read aloud in full every time. Can you imagine?

None of this is obscure. It’s all in the standing rules. Every senator knows it. Every staffer with floor privileges knows it. And now, so do we.

When we call our senators, we can demand to know why they’re not working harder in our defense.

Ask why they’re allowing the chamber to run smoothly while rights are being stripped, people are being deported, and executive power is expanding without restraint. Ask how often they’ve objected to unanimous consent this week. Ask how many quorum calls they’ve forced.

Ask why they’re choosing not to use the tools that exist to throw sand in the gears of a dangerous machine.

What About the House?

The House operates very differently from the Senate. The Speaker of the House is super powerful, so it’s harder for the minority to block legislation here — but that doesn’t make them powerless. House opposition works is about forcing visibility, discomfort, and accountability. Here are some of the pressure points that matter most:

• Forcing votes that leadership would rather avoid
  

  House Democrats can demand recorded roll-call to put every member on the record — which matters when legislation is unpopular back home, especially in swing districts.

• Using motions to recommit to slow the process

  A motion to recommit forces debate, eats floor time, and requires members to publicly reject alternative language — creating a paper trail voters can see later.

• Raising points of order and appealing rulings

  Points of order challenge whether rules are being followed. Appeals to these rulings can disrupt the legislative schedule, interrupting momentum.

• Demanding quorum calls

  Like in the Senate, quorum calls can halt proceedings. In the House, they’re less common — so they can be even more disruptive when used deliberately.

• Targeting vulnerable majorities

  The House often operates with thin margins, especially when attendance is uneven. Opposition leadership can exploit this by forcing votes at inconvenient times, increasing the risk of failed quorums or unexpected delays.

• Turning speed into a liability

  House leadership relies on speed and message discipline. Opposition tactics work best when they slow things down, force repetition, and make rushed votes look reckless rather than efficient.

The House is built for pressure through exposure — dragging decisions into the open, forcing representatives to choose sides publicly, and making it harder for leadership to move problematic policies without consequences. Remember, a representative’s term is just two years, so it’s practically always an election year for them (senators, by contrast, have six-year terms).

Get It On the Record 📋

Calling a House office is less about slowing the machinery quietly and more about forcing public accountability. When you call, you’re trying to make it harder for leadership to move fast — and easier for voters to see where their representatives stand. You might ask:

• Will the Representative commit to demanding recorded votes on controversial or rushed legislation, rather than allowing voice votes?
• Will they use motions to recommit to force debate and put alternative language on the record?
• Will they raise points of order or appeal rulings when House rules are bent to move bills quickly?
• How often have they forced leadership to slow down or repeat votes this session?
• Will they publicly oppose fast-tracked votes that avoid debate or minimize scrutiny?

If the staffer says the minority doesn’t have the votes to stop a bill, that’s okay — you can follow up with: “I’m not asking them to stop it. I’m asking them to make it harder, slower, and more visible.”

That’s an important distinction — it flags you as an engaged voter with a good understanding of how our government operates. It lets them know, in no uncertain terms, you’ll be holding them accountable for their inaction. It’s not enough to vote on legislation. They need to drag decisions into the open, force members to go on the record, and turn speed into a liability rather than a strength.

New Plan Who Dis?

The jig is up. We know their hands are not so tied as they’d like us to think. Let’s nag them and track them and hold them to account. They asked for this job to protect our best interests. If it’s too icky for them to be “that legislator” making a fuss, then step aside and let someone else with a spine stand up for us.

If they can’t stop new laws and policies that hurt us, the least they can do is slow them down. Maybe we’ll outlast them, maybe it’ll gum things up so badly something breaks. It’ll get us farther than another sternly-worded letter, that’s for sure.

☎️ HELLO OPERATOR 🤳

Sorry, text and email: a phone call is by far the best option for maximum impact with Members of Congress. They create immediate high-volume disruption of daily operations, and often conveys emotional urgency that signals an issue of deep voter importance.

You don’t have to read a big script, just give your name and zip code and tell them why you’re calling. Don’t worry about getting everything into one voicemail, either – you can call back tomorrow and pick up where you left off. 🤓 PRO TIP: Leave messages at both local and DC offices, and keep it cordial. You might not agree with them, but that’s no reason to be rude.

John Fetterman
Phila: 215-241-1090
DC: 202-224-4254

David McCormick
Phila: 215-405-9660
DC: 202-224-6324

Dwight Evans (District 3)
Phila:  215-276-0340
DC: 202-225-4001

Brendan F. Boyle (District 2)
Phila:  267-335-5643
DC: 202-225-6111

If you’re unsure who your Representative is, find out here just by entering your address.

What do you think? Click the links for more information. Did we miss anything? Have you had any successes (or failures) when reaching out to legislators? Let us know in the comments below. For a list of call scripts on a variety of current issues, please see Indivisible.org.