Postcarding for Turnout
Michigan voters are getting 500 October surprises
Michelle Obama, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, said “Do something!”
We’re writing postcards. Joyce Vance believes postcards are effective. Anne Lamott is drawing flowers on her postcards. We committed to writing and sending 500 postcards to voters in Michigan.
Postcards to Swing States still has postcards to send. Ours are to be mailed on October 17, but we’ve been hand-writing postcards for a few weeks now (with help from friends and family). As of today, we’ve completed 320 of our 500.
The organization sends out postcards in various quantities. They include a list of the voters who are to receive a personalized postcard, and we supply the postage.
A late tax refund from the state is paying for our stamps. Postcard postage is 56 cents, but the standard postcard stamp is of a series of sailboats.
Sailing might not be elitist, but it’s not an everyday activity for most people. So I got 1,000 stamps at 28 cents each, and we’re applying two per postcard. (I cleaned out two post offices of their 28 cent sheets.)
It just seems like a school bus is more relatable than a sailboat.
Will a postcard make a progressive voter more likely to go to the polls? The Progressive Turnout Project estimates a 1.6% increase in participation among those who receive postcards. In an election this close, that could make the difference in a swing state like Michigan.
It’s been fun thinking about who these folks are, living in their towns and cities all around my home state, getting a piece of hand-written mail and feeling that someone cares about whether they vote or not. They might even tell friends, family, neighbors and co-workers.
Above all, it’s Doing Something!