We are in the full swing of fall down here with cooler weather, leaves showing a little color, and the last hatch of baby chickens. Unfortunately, I’ve got the sinus infection, which seems to always follow the onslaught of fall allergies for me, to prove it.
I was glad to hear you talk about postcard-writing to help get out the vote and support democracy. I have been doing this for a while, and I assure you that mine are not all that pretty. I think that postcards that are obviously written by a real person are more likely to be read.
Allow me to second Joyce about the postcards program.
This is a political strategy so old it is new again. It was old when I first used it 50 years ago to win three elections. It was called "Dear Friend" back then.
Originally, when the Democratic Party was more community-based with solid community groups and unions and such, we political campaign organizers went out and got the group to commit to sending a certain number of postcards, and their members would commit to certain numbers. The idea was they would send them to people they knew in the community. The campaign printed a postcard with a photo of the candidate and a short statement, with room for the sender to write. They were sent about a month before the election.
The reasoning behind them - which is still good today when they're being sent to strangers - is that the person receiving them is not going to send them straight to the trash can like happens to 90% of campaign mailers. They will pause and read them. And studies show that the post card will have more meaning to them than a mailer, because someone took the time personally to sit down and write them and then mail them. It's that "personal touch" that matters.
So, for those of you who may have wondered it it's more than a way to make otherwise-lazy lib'ruls feel good about doing something, yes. They work. They are worth your time. But be sure to get them done by the end of the month! Actually, the closer to the election, the more effective they are with people who were undecided or who might not vote (stress the importance of their vote in your message).
That is all. You may now return to your previously-scheduled net surfing. :-)
About ten months ago, I organized a small group of like-minded (and always with updated vaccines) people to write postcards supporting candidates, encouraging voter registration, etc. We met once a month, rotating homes, and always with good coffee and some snacks provided. I got our lists and scripts from Activate America.
Based on the number of postcards we ordered and went through, I figure we have written a total of 500. It doesn’t seem like a lot in the big picture, but I remind myself that others are doing it also, and, as that famous NYC anti-litter campaign put it, “every litter bit helps!“
We concluded our efforts last week, writing cards to Democratic Pennsylvania voters that are pro-choice but skip midterm elections (I am forever impressed by the fact that such specific data can be extracted)
Hi Joyce, I'm so glad to have joined you on substack after watching you on TV and listening to your excellent podcast with your "sisters"!
I'm also writing postcards with Postcards to Voters as well as Reclaim Our Vote. I like to use different colors of Flair pens to make them interesting and sometimes even just copy the sample that's given. I agree that a handwritten postcard goes a long way to making a connection that will hopefully inspire my readers to get out and vote.
I'm so excited and a bit envious that my daughter will be taking part this February in the Sojourn Project (https://www.sojournproject.org/). This is a program for Middle and High Schoolers to journey to important sites from the Civil Rights movement to meet with and learn from the activists that made that history. She'll be in your neck of woods, so I'll tell her to look out for you. : )
Thanks to MeidasTouch, I learned of a postcard-writing organization called FieldTeam6. They provide scripts and addresses from various campaigns around the country. I live in NJ, but I wrote to people encouraging them to register and vote DEM. Campaigns I touched included Katie Porter's (CA-47), Boebert's (CO-3), Val Demming's senate race, Fetterman's senate race, and FL-28. I like to think I made someone get out to vote Dem, but I'll never know.
I live in MD, which overall is a reliably blue state. For the gubernatorial primary I thought it would be most effective to try to get rid of trumpian candidates so I registered Republican (previously was non-affiliated) and voted for only the candidates that were specifically non-trumpian. It didn’t make a difference unfortunately because the GOP guy who won for governor was a trumper. So for the midterms (our house/senate seats are pretty safe) I signed up to be an election judge. Best I can do! Love you Joyce and thank you for all YOU do to further “civil discourse”. Hope you feel better soon!
I’m writing letters for votefwd.org, and not only is it fun, I know it’s making a difference. I live in a state that has mail in voting, and there are no polling places to go to to volunteer. And I can’t canvas due to physical restrictions. So this is what I can do. And I unexpectedly really enjoy it. Highly recommended!
Good morning Joyce. Thank you once again- this time for suppling us with reminders of some of the things we can actually DO to help protect our very tentative democracy. I live in a reliably blue state that has some very red pockets. I will be writing postcards to 'neighbors' to remind them of the importance of every single vote.
I've been politically active since college. Currently I help out our county Democratic Club writing postcards and door hangers and manning the booth at our club booth at different events. I do try to donate what I can, but sadly not as much as I did for the 2020 election. I'm focusing on challengers against incumbent followers of tfg that really have no business representing anyone.
Roe v. Wade is personal for me since my maternal grandparents were instrumental in getting Planned Parenthood started.
I hope the J6 hearings can expose all the ugliness of the GOP and result in a true blue wave. Thank you for sharing your insights into what's going on behind the scenes.
Thank you so much for starting your column with the WONDERFUL chicken photo! The fluffy moms with tiny chicks just peeping out by their feet put a big smile on my face that will stay with me all weekend.
Thank you also for reminding all of us that we ARE doing meaningful things to support our democracy, and for the short list of other ideas. I am a member of the League of Women Voters - a non-partisan national group dedicated to supporting voting all over the US. My local branch delivers voter registration forms all over our county (at the request of our Election Board), runs voter registration drives, and moderates local candidate forums for towns in our county.
Through Vote Forward (non-partisan), I am sending letters encouraging voters in AZ, TX, FL and GA to get out there and vote for the candidates and propositions they support. VF provides a template letter, to which i add a sentence on why I vote. They tell you when to mail the letters, and track the level of success of this approach by watching vote counts. You can take on as many (or as few) letters as you feel you can handle.
You reminded me that financial support is helpful also - Rideshare2Vote is another group that helps voters (including folks with disabilities that can make public transportation tricky) get registered and vote. We also support Democracy Docket, which is doing all it can to fight voter suppression in the courts.
wow, i'm tired just looking at all of this. Good thing I have my purring kitty in my lap to remind me to just relax and knit for a bit.
I find it incisive that the climate change deniers are now silent as the change in climate has become too obvious to deny. The vote deniers (likely the same crowd) deny the obvious just as in their climate denial.
I was glad to hear you talk about postcard-writing to help get out the vote and support democracy. I have been doing this for a while, and I assure you that mine are not all that pretty. I think that postcards that are obviously written by a real person are more likely to be read.
Allow me to second Joyce about the postcards program.
This is a political strategy so old it is new again. It was old when I first used it 50 years ago to win three elections. It was called "Dear Friend" back then.
Originally, when the Democratic Party was more community-based with solid community groups and unions and such, we political campaign organizers went out and got the group to commit to sending a certain number of postcards, and their members would commit to certain numbers. The idea was they would send them to people they knew in the community. The campaign printed a postcard with a photo of the candidate and a short statement, with room for the sender to write. They were sent about a month before the election.
The reasoning behind them - which is still good today when they're being sent to strangers - is that the person receiving them is not going to send them straight to the trash can like happens to 90% of campaign mailers. They will pause and read them. And studies show that the post card will have more meaning to them than a mailer, because someone took the time personally to sit down and write them and then mail them. It's that "personal touch" that matters.
So, for those of you who may have wondered it it's more than a way to make otherwise-lazy lib'ruls feel good about doing something, yes. They work. They are worth your time. But be sure to get them done by the end of the month! Actually, the closer to the election, the more effective they are with people who were undecided or who might not vote (stress the importance of their vote in your message).
That is all. You may now return to your previously-scheduled net surfing. :-)
About ten months ago, I organized a small group of like-minded (and always with updated vaccines) people to write postcards supporting candidates, encouraging voter registration, etc. We met once a month, rotating homes, and always with good coffee and some snacks provided. I got our lists and scripts from Activate America.
Based on the number of postcards we ordered and went through, I figure we have written a total of 500. It doesn’t seem like a lot in the big picture, but I remind myself that others are doing it also, and, as that famous NYC anti-litter campaign put it, “every litter bit helps!“
We concluded our efforts last week, writing cards to Democratic Pennsylvania voters that are pro-choice but skip midterm elections (I am forever impressed by the fact that such specific data can be extracted)
Now, it is just wait and see, fingers crossed.
Hi Joyce, I'm so glad to have joined you on substack after watching you on TV and listening to your excellent podcast with your "sisters"!
I'm also writing postcards with Postcards to Voters as well as Reclaim Our Vote. I like to use different colors of Flair pens to make them interesting and sometimes even just copy the sample that's given. I agree that a handwritten postcard goes a long way to making a connection that will hopefully inspire my readers to get out and vote.
I'm so excited and a bit envious that my daughter will be taking part this February in the Sojourn Project (https://www.sojournproject.org/). This is a program for Middle and High Schoolers to journey to important sites from the Civil Rights movement to meet with and learn from the activists that made that history. She'll be in your neck of woods, so I'll tell her to look out for you. : )
Oooh. One more thing. The photo of the hens sitting on their chicks warmed the cockles of my heart despite me not really knowing what cockles are!
Thanks to MeidasTouch, I learned of a postcard-writing organization called FieldTeam6. They provide scripts and addresses from various campaigns around the country. I live in NJ, but I wrote to people encouraging them to register and vote DEM. Campaigns I touched included Katie Porter's (CA-47), Boebert's (CO-3), Val Demming's senate race, Fetterman's senate race, and FL-28. I like to think I made someone get out to vote Dem, but I'll never know.
"Election deniers" is too soft and flimsy. Perhaps we can begin calling them what they are:
Election Liars. ???
I live in MD, which overall is a reliably blue state. For the gubernatorial primary I thought it would be most effective to try to get rid of trumpian candidates so I registered Republican (previously was non-affiliated) and voted for only the candidates that were specifically non-trumpian. It didn’t make a difference unfortunately because the GOP guy who won for governor was a trumper. So for the midterms (our house/senate seats are pretty safe) I signed up to be an election judge. Best I can do! Love you Joyce and thank you for all YOU do to further “civil discourse”. Hope you feel better soon!
I’m writing letters for votefwd.org, and not only is it fun, I know it’s making a difference. I live in a state that has mail in voting, and there are no polling places to go to to volunteer. And I can’t canvas due to physical restrictions. So this is what I can do. And I unexpectedly really enjoy it. Highly recommended!
Good morning Joyce. Thank you once again- this time for suppling us with reminders of some of the things we can actually DO to help protect our very tentative democracy. I live in a reliably blue state that has some very red pockets. I will be writing postcards to 'neighbors' to remind them of the importance of every single vote.
Hi Joyce, I love your posts!
I've been politically active since college. Currently I help out our county Democratic Club writing postcards and door hangers and manning the booth at our club booth at different events. I do try to donate what I can, but sadly not as much as I did for the 2020 election. I'm focusing on challengers against incumbent followers of tfg that really have no business representing anyone.
Roe v. Wade is personal for me since my maternal grandparents were instrumental in getting Planned Parenthood started.
I hope the J6 hearings can expose all the ugliness of the GOP and result in a true blue wave. Thank you for sharing your insights into what's going on behind the scenes.
Thank you so much for starting your column with the WONDERFUL chicken photo! The fluffy moms with tiny chicks just peeping out by their feet put a big smile on my face that will stay with me all weekend.
Thank you also for reminding all of us that we ARE doing meaningful things to support our democracy, and for the short list of other ideas. I am a member of the League of Women Voters - a non-partisan national group dedicated to supporting voting all over the US. My local branch delivers voter registration forms all over our county (at the request of our Election Board), runs voter registration drives, and moderates local candidate forums for towns in our county.
Through Vote Forward (non-partisan), I am sending letters encouraging voters in AZ, TX, FL and GA to get out there and vote for the candidates and propositions they support. VF provides a template letter, to which i add a sentence on why I vote. They tell you when to mail the letters, and track the level of success of this approach by watching vote counts. You can take on as many (or as few) letters as you feel you can handle.
You reminded me that financial support is helpful also - Rideshare2Vote is another group that helps voters (including folks with disabilities that can make public transportation tricky) get registered and vote. We also support Democracy Docket, which is doing all it can to fight voter suppression in the courts.
wow, i'm tired just looking at all of this. Good thing I have my purring kitty in my lap to remind me to just relax and knit for a bit.
Love the furry chicks! Do they retain their furry down throughout their lives. Never seen adult chickens like this:)!
Appreciate the links, Joyce! (And love the chickens and their chicks!)
I find it incisive that the climate change deniers are now silent as the change in climate has become too obvious to deny. The vote deniers (likely the same crowd) deny the obvious just as in their climate denial.
Thank you, Joyce! This is exceedingly helpful.