A legislative correspondent handles all communications for a political office, including drafting responses to constituent inquiries and maintaining the politician’s website. They may specialize in certain areas and often have degrees in political science or English. The position provides valuable experience in politics and communication.
A legislative correspondent is a member of the office staff of a person holding a high political office. The person in this position handles all letters and emails sent to the office. Some political offices have more than one legislative correspondent, each covering one or more of the politician’s areas of interest.
The duties of a legislative correspondent are to handle all political office communications. This person must first read, sort and record all incoming messages, electronic or written. He must also draft emails and written letters in response to all constituent inquiries, as well as any communications with other politicians and lobbyists. The person in this position can also compile background research on pending legislation and can assist the legislative assistant.
Legislative correspondents may also be responsible for helping to maintain the politician’s website. This may include writing and reviewing website content and responding to any communications received through the website. Some knowledge of how a website is designed and maintained is usually required.
When a politician has more than one correspondence clerk in his office, each of the clerks in that position usually specializes in some area, such as education or the environment, in which that person has experience. Legislative correspondents will be required to read all current news articles and be intimately familiar with any pending legislation related to their area of expertise. Correspondents may also be invited to participate in committee meetings or legislative sessions pertaining to these areas of expertise. This will allow the corresponding staff member to craft responses about the politician’s views in a specific area.
The requirements for occupying the position of a legislative correspondent are quite flexible. Many people in this position have degrees in political science, English, or both. In some cases, a degree in a field of particular interest to the politician, such as environmental science, coupled with strong writing skills or a second major or minor in English, would qualify someone to fill the position of legislative correspondent.
Working as a legislative correspondent will expose people who want to work in politics to the inner workings of a political office, provide an intimate look at the legislative process, and help develop skills in dealing with voters, lobbyists, and other politicians. People who hold this position might go on to work as a legislative assistant, help run a political campaign, or work for a lobbyist. This position will help develop strong writing and communication skills.
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