I have such mixed emotions about writing to my elected leaders. First of all, they're nearly all very conservative Republicans so almost any letter I'd compose would be so far afield from what they profess to believe that their usual response is generally none at all or some form letter reiterating their platform.

I've worked with actual politicians enough to know that they personally see very few pieces of correspondence in any format. The stuff is fully screened by staffers and they could care less about eloquence or passion, only in adjusting counters. I agree that you could probably devise some scheme to push your emails in bulk and misrepresent your political strength but these guys have got to know of that possibility.

Bottom line is that a letter to a politician is at most an attempt to influence one person. By writing to a a newspaper or publication, you have the chance to influence many especially if you are a talented and persuasive writer. Were I a politician, I'd be more worried about that than a single email showing up from a constituent.

Art