From what I understand from the few friends I have in the political circuit, physical print letters are viewed as far more important (and representative of a concerned citizen) than emails. An email requires little effort to throw together – a print letter implies that the author was willing to invest at least a few cents and some time & energy.
If you want to get your rep’s attention, apparently hand-signed letters work much better.
Too bad its a crummy form letter. It would’ve been nice to get a real opinion from a real person over in DC.
Cheers,