Annnd, they're off! Two hundred postcards winging their way to registered, albeit sometimes reluctant, voters across the United States. This year, through MomsRising Together, volunteers are handwriting ONE MILLION postcards to encourage folks to get to the polls for our midterm elections this November 3rd.
Six years ago, a friend (the wildly talented, beautiful soul, and creator of The Carol and Emily Project) shared this opportunity with me, and I've been able to do my small part for each general, and midterm election ever since. Got questions? Let's get into it!
Who: Registered voters with a recent record of sporadic participation, volunteers (me, you, MomsRising, and generous donors who make this one of the few pre-stamped / postage paid initiatives out there), and last but not least, our dedicated postal workers (without a functional, well-funded USPS none of this would be possible).
What: Non-partisan postcards to voters. More specifically, personalized, hand written messages connecting with fellow Americans, and encouraging / reminding them it's almost time to partake in one of the most fundamental acts of living in a functional democracy. As volunteers, we're asked to keep our personal politics out of the messaging - we're here to inspire not, browbeat infrequent voters, or gag them with our own ideas. Does this kind of outreach actually work? The overall consensus is yes, postcard campaigns really do influence voter turnout. Read more about it here, and here. Plus, for me, I think a happy little card is a lot less annoying compared to door-knocking, or spammy text messages. I'd prefer to be on the receiving end of something like this, way more than other types of election materials.
When: Toward the end of August (in an election year), volunteers are able to sign up, and "claim" the amount of cards for which they'd like to be personally responsible. Then, typically around the last week of September, or early October you'll receive your package of pre-stamped, pre-addressed postcards along with a sheet of simple instructions, and a time frame for getting them into the hands of the USPS. The idea is to get these cards into their rightful hands, two weeks before election day, which happens to be November 3rd this year. If you'd like to see if voter registration is still open in your state, visit Vote.gov, and if you'd just like to make sure your voter status is active, go to Can I Vote, have a felony conviction and think you can't vote, look into Restore Your Vote. If you'd like to become a postcard-scribbling fiend for future elections, go to this page, and get on their mailing list, you'll be notified when the next round is available!
Where: Here, there, everywhere, nowhere ... In a box, with a fox, wearing socks? Sure, why not! The great thing about a postcard initiative is how it can be done from the comfort of your own home, and this can be an important piece for folks who happen to have disabilities, or are less mobile than they used to be, have limited access to transportation, or simply do not live in areas where face-to-face organizing is feasible, but still feel called to be part of the process. For those who aren't able to commit to handwriting over a hundred cards each, but have a few dollars you'd like to put toward printing, and postage costs? Feel free to chip in here.
Why: For too long, "Did Not Vote" has been winning our elections by a landslide. In 2024 alone, 85.9 million eligible voters in the United States sat out the general election. The reality we need to grapple with is that our races aren't being decided by Democrats, or Republicans, or a smattering of Independents, Green Party-ers, or unserious write-ins (I'm lookin' at you, Deez Nuts). They're being decided by the folks that skip it entirely. Meanwhile, each side can be heard crowing over being the true majority, or which candidate swept the popular vote, when the REAL majority of American voters are the ones who are, for whatever reason, disengaged. As for me, I'd like to be even just a tiny part of reversing that. What I like about MomsRising Together is that they attempt to identify one of those possible reasons - the busyness and overwhelm of Motherhood - and sends a gentle nudge to remind families that voting is an important part of parenthood alongside all of the other things you'll do throughout your child's life ... After all, your vote impacts the very world they'll grow up in, and eventually inherit from you. Does it get more important than that?
Also, election day can be a great teachable moment between you, and your children. You can do what my parents did, and take them with you to cast your ballot, and show them the process up close and personal. I've accompanied each of my parents straight into the voting booth multiple times, starting before I could even see over the tablet - practically hanging by my fingertips, with my head tipped back, and my nose barely breaching the edge, but I was there, and I was learning all sorts of things, like how to avoid tabulation mishaps (yes, I'm hanging chads years old), and electioneering when I accidentally wore a campaign sticker for my friend's dad, and my mother gasped and tore it off my shirt (seems so quaint considering what goes on at polling locations nowadays), and the whole lot of it ... And I wouldn't trade those moments with them, and the memories of it for anything in the world.
"As in most US elections, the real swing voters in 2024 were those deciding between voting or not voting...and they overwhelmingly chose to stay home on Election Day." -Environmental Voter Project
How: One thing I think is true, is that you're not likely to change an active voter's mind / vote / side / party with one postcard, or soundbite, or any number of heated arguments, so don't try! Assume everyone's beliefs are as firmly held as your own, and look at that great big number of people who are able but unwilling to vote in this moment, and find out why; put your effort there to get them engaged again. A lot of people don't even have strong feelings about why they're not voting. It's typically not some silent protest, or even disgust at being forced to choose the lesser of two evils, they just don't feel a vote one way or the other would impact their lives in any discernible way. To that person (and I have been her at certain points in my life) I say: Okay, so don't do it for you! If your vote isn't going to make your life better, use it to make someone else's life better.
xoxo
