RSVP for Mail to Make a Difference
a loving reminder and some additional info about this gotv campaign
You still have plenty of time to sign up for Mail to Make a Difference! On October 7th we will be gathering for an hour of action, coming together to write letters to voters in key swing states. A handwritten touch to get them a final boost to show up to the polls. RSVP today to take part.
I put together some FAQ’s below to answer any of your burning questions about the why and how of this campaign. For more info about this campaign you can also check out last week’s newsletter.
Why go through the trouble of reaching people though the mail?
Vote Forward is a nonprofit group who has been implementing mail campaigns and studying their effectiveness. Some sexy stats from Vote Forward:
In a randomized controlled trial in the special election for U.S. Senate in Alabama in 2017, turnout among letter recipients was 3.9 percentage points higher than turnout in the control group.
In the OH-12 special election in 2019 it is estimated that the over four thousand letters written had the effect of boosting turnout by 1.44 percentage points
Some more good reasons:
Direct mail consistently ranks as the single most effective tool to reach voters
Millennials are the age demographic most likely to open their mail! Millennial excitement for mail is great as they are estimated to make up over a third eligible voters this year.
Most campaign efforts are basically not effective at persuading people on who to vote for, but they are effective at getting people to vote.
Democrats have more to gain from high voter turnout and a higher chance of capturing new voters, which largely include young people and people of color. It is tough to predict the full impacts of high voter turnout because of gerrymandering, demographic differences between states, and the electoral college system — but it is a good bet that the more votes counted the more likely it is the results will break
What will I be doing exactly?
Writing personal notes encouraging voters in swing states to get out to the polls on November 3rd!
More specifically, you will:
1) Receive an email from me with a pdf attachment containing a list of voters you will be contacting as well as letter templates
2) Print out your document and gather some envelopes and stamps to go along with it
3) Join the event on October 7th where we will come together for a virtual letter writing campaign to customize these templates with personal notes
4) Address your envelopes, put on a stamp, and mail your letters on October 27th so that they arrive when will they will have the most impact, just before election day
I will be sending out reminders to make sure we all stay on track and mail our letters on time. We are in this together.
Where can I print something anyway?
A couple of ideas for my fellow young people who are also sans printer:
Print With Me: a national network of printers located in local businesses. Take a look at the map and find one near you here.
Your local library! If libraries are open in your area this is always an easy option. Literally got me through high school when our home printer was consistently on the fritz.
A quick google search should also pop up a local mail or print shop, FedEx, UPS locations also should be able to help you out for a small printing fee.
If you are still struggling to find a solution let me know and I am happy to help you troubleshoot!
Wait, isn’t there a lot of drama with the post office? Is it okay to send things through the mail?
It’s true, there is a lot of postal drama. At this time, there has not been any guidance issued to recommend not using the postal service to send mail or that sending mail will have any impact on the election.
On an average day the postal service delivers over 472 million pieces of mail each and every single day. In 2018 there were just over 153 million registered voters in the entire country. So basically if every single person registered voted, and voted absentee, they post office that would still only be around 1/3 of the mail they handled that day.
It is true that there have been delays in mail delivery due to various administrative changes like removing extra sorting machines and cutting back on overtime. Because of these ill advised cuts, inconsistent state laws determining when ballots have to be received to be counted, and the President repeatedly spreading misinformation about voter fraud, there are definitely some real concerns about making sure all votes are counted. However, sending less mail is not the solution to any of these problems.
In fact, with so much misinformation efforts like these become doubly important. If people are dissuaded from voting by mail and are concerned about voting in person, or unsure they want to bother, they need a nudge to show up to the polls. Not to mention, with each stamp we support the essential funding of the postal service! There can be no better use of a stamp this October.
Why should I join this effort as opposed to others?
There are plenty of efforts happening right now and I encourage you to participate in more than one. I chose this one to organize around because of the sheer effectiveness of the campaign.
Many people are not on social media, do not read the news, are not following the election or watching the debates, and are disengaged from politics altogether. The beautiful thing about the postal service is that it reaches every single person in this country. Receiving a personal reminder, from a stranger who took the time to tell them they care that they show up on November 3rd, is going to much more difficult to dismiss than the rest of the election noise.
Not only that, Vote Forward has tested this method and found it increases turnout by anywhere from 1.4 -3.9 percent. Every percentage point counts for the presidential election and also for local elections where margins can be small and impacts on our lives can be huge.
On a more personal note, this is just a wonderful way for us to connect and gather in community among friends and new friends, maybe pour a drink, have a chat, and keep one another motivated and inspired.
What if I cannot attend the event on October 7th?
No worries! The most important thing is to take part in the letter writing campaign and I would love to have you join however you are able. RSVP and select the option “I can't attend the event but will be able to write letters on my own time.” I will send you all the info you need to join the effort.
with love,
caitlin rose
some sources
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/06/2020-election-voter-turnout-could-be-record-breaking/591607/
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2019/11/20/what-does-high-voter-turnout-tell-us-about-the-2020-elections/
https://www.campaignsandelections.com/campaign-insider/new-research-reveals-direct-mail-to-be-most-credible-form-of-media-outreach-among-voters
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/09/campaigns-direct-mail-zero-effect/541485/
https://votefwd.org/
https://facts.usps.com/one-day/