5 Calls: Contact Your Congress Reviews

by TheCreatist

5 Calls is an app that can be so beneficial to visually impaired persons, but only if they can use it! VoiceOver DOES NOT work with 5 Calls on my iPhone 12 Pro Max running iOS 14.6. I contacted the developer who was by far less than empathetic! His response was that it works on his phone! I wonder how blind he is! Even if the problem is not with the developer’s coding, he could help in determining if Apple updates might be the culprit. The same problem has popped up on several other apps and those developers are trying to determine what has caused the break and are seeking a fix. They have been and are showing empathy and mastery. I appreciate them mightily! I think 5 Calls is a worthy app if it works for you. I. also believe that in times of trouble it is only as good as its developer, thus I can only rate it, at this time, one star.

by NewtonsLaws

The concept and execution of 5Calls is great, but it wasn’t designed to allow all voices to be heard. Instead, 5Calls only shows leftist ideals. It utilizes the tactics outlined by Alinsky in “Rules for Radicals”, which tells organizers how to achieve a political revolution through lies, deceit, and social reform. To achieve their end goal, organizers must create an unbeatable voting block by brainwashing the masses into voting themselves out of a capitalistic society. This requires a coalition of people who support their often disingenuous causes; “useful idiots,” as referred to by Marx in the Communist Manifesto. 5Calls is designed for just that purpose and should be labeled as such.

Otherwise, I really liked it.

by Rabid Umpa Lumpa

I love the concept of 5Calls...to get people motivated and to get them to call about current issues. 5Calls will find your representatives and put their phone number a click away! It will even give you some talking points and things to say about various issues to tell the person you call. Except it only gives you talking points to support what ever issue it is.

That’s the issue I have with 5Calls. It only gives you reasons to support whatever issue you select. I haven’t been able to find anywhere in 5Calls pertaining to reasons why your congressman/women shouldn’t vote for something.

If I am against an issue in Congress then I usually already have my reasons, but with that being said it’s nice to read through something before you call. Sometimes, I’ll find another talking point to support my reason and I find myself choosing better wording due to reading it.

Overall 5Calls is good, they just need to provide supporting arguments for both sides, instead of just one.

by Lady Jessop

America needs active citizens more than ever now and 5Calls is a great way to do that! I use it at least once a week to contact my local representatives. I do notice that it no longer includes my congressional representative, only Senators. Why is that? Can you fix?

Also an independent investigation of Russia's interference in the 2016 election is no longer one of the issues. Any plans to put this issue back in 5Calls ? It's a pretty important one seeing as that is what got us in this political mess to begin with.

by TurnItAround

The beauty of 5Calls is that it identifies important, up-to-date issues that citizens may want to advocate for, then, if you click on the topic that interests you to contact your representatives about, it shows you exactly who to contactIn your state, your specific representatives, and you click on the photo of their face/name, and their phone number populates. You touch their phone number and make the call. You can also report your calls so they keep track of how many people have contacted their reps. I've never found a more helpful or streamlined resource for making political advocacy easy. I highly recommend 5Calls!
Developer: could you please make another app called "1 Rep"with the same information? Only as a matter of choice architecture... the thought of making five calls often feels like more than I have time for, so I skip some days. If the mental framework was that I had to do only one thing, one action to contact one representative, and then feel like I succeeded rather than fell short of calling five, I'm sure I could motivate myself to do it seven days a week.
Thanks for the fabulous, highly effective resource!

by Abschratkins

5Calls is so helpful. It assists novices in civic involvement and makes having your voice heard with your representatives a tangible option. I had my reps already in my contacts but having the issues broken down and the scripts provided to assist in voicing your concerns makes the conversations with staffers and reps seamless. And for a working mom, ease of use makes it easy for someone like me who was feeling isolated from the civic conversation. Thank you so much. I've recommended it to everyone I know.

by Jdschl

5Calls makes political involvement so easy for those of us not sure what to say or who to call on a particular issue. Like most, I have become increasingly concerned about our government under this new administration and the actions (or inaction) being taken. And like most, I have felt in the past that my singular voice/opinions don't matter. 5Calls changes all that helping each of our voices contribute to having real impact on the political direction of our government. Thank you!

by Louislg

5Calls is making it so much easier to exercise my first amendment right and be sure that I am on the record with my representatives. If we don’t hold them accountable tell me who will. Love the links to relevant sites (ie. Campaign Zero, NY Times article explaining advantage of calling over emailing) and the tips are invaluable. I would love to see some augmentations (ie. an email check box, phone message check box, live conversation check box) as it is a bit of a challenge to keep these straight. Also would love a free-text or add to database option for my local government contact info (sheriff, city council members etc.) as well as topics (ie. Recent paid vacation for local sheriff union representative enticing resigned Buffalo officers to come down here, he would have their back).Thank you for 5Calls-amazing!

by Icant Find

I came by 5Calls from my soon to be 84 year old mom...she and my dad have been fighting for equal rights since they were a young married couple in the mid fifties. So sad to see not as much progress as they envisioned would happen. Love 5Calls, it makes reaching out to those in our government who are the ones to change and improve our laws easy and virtually effortless. Thank you.

by Nezteb

The tool itself is invaluable for amplifying the voices of otherwise busy and unheard individuals.

Scripts must be submitted directly to the this app team and approved before others can use them, but you can easily use your own script and use this app to get the names and phone numbers you need to contact your representatives.

The frontend and mobile apps are open-source. I wish the backend was too, but I understand why it’s not.

by MusiqueNow

While too many people waste their lives on Facebook, often complaining about but rarely taking action on political matters, 5 Calls offers an informative and simple solution. It is among my favorite apps to help me stay informed and engaged. Following the name, I made a commitment to make at least 5 calls per week... that’s just one per day. Everyone has that much time, and imagine the impact if we all did that! Stay inspired, informed and engaged!

by CrookeHD

I have been using your app for about 4 years now. Thank you for the work your doing it is so important for everyone to use 5Calls. You make it easy for people like me to call and state the issues. The hardest part is picking the issues I should call on. You have so many that need a voice, please don’t stop what your doing.
You are helping the every day citizens to get involved and have a voice!

by 3rReviewer

I'm so glad Michael Moore told folks about 5Calls! It's easy to use (even for an oldster like me, unused to switching from phone app back to the helpful script). And the team does a great job of choosing issues and updating when needed.

I agree with Llama Shock that being able to organize calls by legislators would be great. However, my congressperson's staff said they prefer one call per issue (my senators' staffers said they'd take messages one multiple issues in one call). It seems to make sense to do what the staffers prefer.

by Poppyinthewoods

I love 5Calls for 2 reasons. (1) It outlines all the relevant timely issues occurring in politics today (with short and simple overviews). Simply pick one or more issues that you feel passionate about. (2) Then 5Calls shares which of your state representatives are responsible for implementing that specific law, bill, measure, action, etc. — you just hit call on your phone, and leave a message expressing your support (or non support). Talking points are provided to cut any anxiety you may have about being a political game changer!

by Mpf2011

In this time of political chaos, with so many issues coming at us daily, 5Calls makes it easy for the user to choose from a list of issues, get background information about each issue and phone numbers for the appropriate people in government to call, based on where you live. It also gives precise House or Senate bill numbers, when appropriate, so that you can be clear when you call about the exact piece of legislation that you're commenting on.
You then note whether you made contact, left a voicemail or couldn't get through. I use 5Calls frequently and recommend it.

by JessiSF

I had been using a different service to call Congress since the election, but it was just one call, and I didn't always feel enthusiastic about the issue. Also, it was hard to keep track of what to say because it's a short text and a voicemail-- my mind would go blank when I called. Then I found this app, the background info and a script for the call were all there on my phone screen. I still say what I want to, but the script helps me keep on task. Plus, if I get a busy signal, there's an easy way to get the other office numbers. I identified a few issues I cared about and my first time using, I made 7 calls. It's great.

by Lindacfb

As a voter who never knew how to speak up for issues that matter to me, I’m elated to find 5Calls. It brings upcoming legislation to my attention, supplies the content and context for each one (plus links to further background), then provides a script that I can use verbatim or customize to my particular views. The cherry on top is the name and phone number of my representative right there at the top of the script and even the details for how to return to the script after placing the call. All that’s missing is the gumption I needed to overcome my fear of embarrassing myself by stumbling through it. Baby steps—I left voicemails. No excuse now for failing to make my voice heard. Hop on the bandwagon and do likewise!

by M A 4

Very useful and efficient. It would be nice to be able to pre-edit the suggested scripts, but using those is optional anyway. You still get auto-dialing of your specific lawmakers, which is a big help. (Tip: zip codes and auto-location stopped working for me. Entering a full street address works, though.)

The issues and scripts are frequently updated, offering a wide range of topics that centrists and progressives will want to support. Only the farthest-right lunatic fringe are likely to object to the reasonable facts and issues 5Calls contains. It does contain certain issues I care less about than others—which is why you pick and choose what’s worth your call. Don’t forget to tap “More Issues” to see all the current offerings.

by GizmoInPNW

Considering how intense and contentious political life in the US is, it can be easy to despair at what we can *actually do.* The number of changes that need to happen in our country (and world) can easily overwhelm even the most positively minded person. And 5Calls helps. It helps take real action and it helps me *stay focused* on the items that are most important to me. The cognitive load of collecting phone numbers, researching the issue for what to say on the phone, and then actually making the call may not take time, but it can feel like a chore, and 5Calls makes it bonkers easy to do the thing without it feeling like a chore. Stop kvetching and *start acting* with 5Calls!

by CarrieSi

I’ve been using this app for almost four years now, and can’t think of a more easy to use tool for making my voice heard. 5Calls not only makes it easy to contact my legislators, but also provides a script of what to say when making calls. The issues presented are highly relevant and I love the ability to see even more topics and bills that I may want to advocate for. All residents of the USA should be utilizing an app like this to urge their representatives on issues they care about.

by ChessChick

5Calls seems great (I haven’t used it yet), but it would be even better if it included an option to email your representatives also. I know that members of Congress tally emails just as they do phone calls, so they are just as powerful. And email is both easier for a constituent to send (if they are busy) and easier for congressional offices to tally (takes less time). Please include this feature to make your app even more awesome. Thanks!

by LlamaShock

This organizes a variety of current issues to call your representatives about pretty well, but I would really like to have an option to sort issues by who I need to call. I prefer to call each representative once and be able to list all of my opinions (rather than calling the same senator 13 times in one day about different issues for example). Also, it would be nice to "see all current issues" like you can on the website (also makes it more satisfying to see a history of green check marks as well).

by 7beaks

I was feeling overwhelmed in keeping up with all of the political issues out there, and felt helpless to do anything meaningful about it. 5Calls is so helpful in quickly getting to the point of current issues, and lays out a script for me to follow, plus lists the contact numbers for who I need to call so that my voice is heard! I feel so much better knowing I’m participating in the process. Thank you for this great app!

by LynneWA

5 calls will inform you, guide you and save you time. You can take more action, track your progress and not feel as frustrated and stressed when you feel your Country and Constitute are crumbling a little day by day. If you believe things can and should be better, talk to the office and or office holder that makes the changes. Let your voice be heard. Don’t forget to thank the person who takes your call.

by Jeriberi617

5Calls is so empowering. They list top issues faced by our country and provide scripts for each issue as well as important background information. They make it so easy to call your representatives; it’s 2 mins out of my day but possible the most important 2 mins of my day. 5Calls also tracks how many calls you’ve made so you have physical proof of the impact you’re making! I recommend it to everyone I know.

by Big Adventures

Wow 5 Calls is a fantastic app but I have one big beef: as of this writing it’s missing perhaps the most important issue in the “Foreign Affairs” section which (in my opinion) should be the “Hong Kong Human Rights & Democracy Act of 2019” ... The people of Hong Kong were promised autonomy but the Chinese have reneged on their promise and are in the process of taking power away from the citizens. The Hong Kong Human Rights & Democracy Act of 2019 will help reinforce the rights of the people to choose their own politics leaders and protect their human rights. I strongly encourage 5 Calls to take up this issue as this is a pivotal moment in the global pro-democracy movement. This is THE issue of greatest importance from the standpoint of global democracy and I ask everyone to help in voicing your support. Thank you guys, and keep up the good work!

by Amoore913

I cannot even imagine living in these times without the five star app! It has revolutionized being able to contact our representatives. I can call all three of my representatives within about a minute to a minute and a half on any issue. So I can make many calls in a short period of time To express my views and directions for our representatives.