If time is a factor in writing an elected official, send the letter by express mail or second-day air delivery. Do not fax materials unless an elected official invites you to do so. A faxed letter puts the cost of the paper on the legislator and its ties up phone lines. Email, like personal computers, fax machines, pagers and wireless phones, has made accessibility to elected officials a non-issue. As an advocacy technique or tool, email can be as damaging as it can be helpful.
Legislators know how easy it is to send a message and weight email messages accordingly.
Email communication is also less effective due to the volume of email received by elected officials. Some lawmakers complain that they get so many emails from so many sources that they cannot read them all. Consequently, many emails are deleted without even being read. Another problem is the real-time nature of email. Sometimes one will write a letter in the heat of a situation and react inappropriately.