A legislative correspondent is a member of the office staff for someone who holds a high-ranking political position. This person is in charge of handling all of the office’s letters and e-mails. Some political offices have multiple legislative correspondents, each covering one or more of the politician’s areas of interest.
A legislative correspondent’s responsibilities include handling all communications from the political office. All incoming mail, whether electronic or written, must be read, sorted, and logged this person. He must also respond to all constituent inquiries with e-mails and written letters, as well as communicate with other politicians and lobbyists. This person may also assist the legislative assistant compiling background research on pending legislation.
Legislative correspondents may also be tasked with assisting with the upkeep of the politician’s website. This could include writing and proofreading the website’s content as well as responding to any communication received via the website. It is usually necessary to have some understanding of how a website is designed and maintained.
When a politician has more than one correspondence staff member in her office, each of the staff members in this position will usually specialize in an area in which they have experience, such as education or the environment. Legislative correspondents will be expected to read all current news articles and be well-versed in any pending legislation in their field of expertise. The correspondence manager may also be asked to attend committee meetings or legislative sessions related to these areas of expertise. This will make it easier for the correspondent staff member to draft responses to the politician’s positions on specific issues.
The requirements for working as a legislative correspondent are somewhat amorphous. Many of the people in this position have a political science or English degree, or both. A degree in a field of particular interest to the politician, such as environmental science, combined with strong writing skills or a second major or minor in English may qualify someone for a legislative correspondent position in some cases.
Working as a legislative correspondent exposes people interested in working in politics to the inner workings of a political office, gives them an inside look at the legislative process, and helps them develop skills for dealing with constituents, lobbyists, and other politicians. People who hold this position can go on to work as a legislative assistant, as a campaign manager, or as a lobbyist. This job will aid in the development of strong writing and communication abilities.