In a Breitbart News op-ed published Sunday night, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin urged “concerned Americans” to call their legislators to remind them that “2014 is just around the corner,” and their jobs could be in jeopardy if they pass the Gang of Eight border bill. That measure, Palin argued, “isn’t about fixing problems; it’s about amnesty at all costs.”

It’s time our lawmakers remember that we are a sovereign nation of laws. This bill ignores that, and ignores the will of the people. The continued porous border goes against what politicians assured us was in this mountain-high bill…

It’s time for concerned Americans to flood our legislators’ phone lines with the input they need to hear from We the People. Join the mama grizzlies who are rearing up tirelessly to swat away false claims that amnesty is a good thing.

Palin warned that the bill, which is reported to be over 1,000 pages in length and has the working title of the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act,” does little to actually bolster security at the border in the short term. “It’s amnesty right now and border security… eh, well, someday,” she quipped.

How effective are campaigns to contact elected officials on specific legislation? Most every advocacy organization believes telephone calls, emails and letters can make a big difference if they are genuine expressions of opinion and not “canned” contacts, such as automated calls and pre-printed forms. According to one interest group:

Legislators count how many calls they get pro and con on a bill. And they pay very close attention if the caller is actually in their district. Even as few as 5 or 6 calls on a bill can change a legislator’s mind… Hearing from folks will sway their vote because they won’t have to go into in-depth study on the bill. “I got a number of calls opposing the bill.” is enough cover for them.

Just how many contacts Palin can persuade her supporters to make is hard to determine. In addition to the Breitbart readership, her Facebook page has 3.5 million “likes,” and her Twitter feed is followed by an additional 926,529 people, most of them politically active.