Writing letters is what we do!

Dear Reader, WARNING -this post has political implications! Please note: It is nonpartisan. It is all about voting.

If you are like me, you may be anxious about this November’s election. If you want to “Do Something” more than merely donate to some candidate or cause, here’s an idea. Write letters to voters. Invite them to vote. The biggest voting block in America consists of those who do not vote. Half of the population doesn’t vote. (Politico, 2020)

In The American Nonvoter, 2017, the authors, Lyn Ragsdale and Jerrold G. Rusk explain “American nonvoters are not neutral bystanders.” They are more like spectators who keep one eye on the score but choose not to join the game. They could decide the 2024 election if they vote. (Marcela Valdes, NYT News Feb.25. 2024)

So how does one motivate these politically disengaged voters? Enter- VOTE FORWARD, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization devoted to increasing voter turnout in American elections. It started in 2017 by Scott Forman in Alabama with 1000 handwritten letters to voters, encouraging them to participate in a special election. The results were quite successful and so VOTE FORWARD was born. Volunteers who have never gotten involved in politics before have signed on to write letters to voters across the country. Presently 230,000 volunteers have written more than 31 million letters since 2017, with a current goal of 10 million more in 2024. The data has proven that these letters have increased voter turnout by a 2-3% margin.

So, I am writing letters for VOTE FORWARD. The easy directive is to explain to “an infrequent voter” why I vote in every election. “My vote is my voice” is my opening line. And somewhere in my short message I say that “Every vote matters. Every single one!” The Vote Forward template printout gives specific regional information to the voter regarding how to check their registration, how to register, and the location of polling places and dates for voting. It’s a phenomenal recourse for coaxing the voter back “into the game.”

Writing letters is what we do. Right? Handwritten letters is what Vote Forward requires. They know that the personal touch of something handwritten gets noticed. They know that at a certain point, the ads, flyers, robo calls, and door knocking get ignored. However, that handwritten letter quietly gets through the door slot and into the hands of the potential voter.

I write the address in cursive and simply print the inside message. Many younger people can not read cursive. Also, I decorate the envelope with gold marker to grab attention. You can decorate the envelopes. Make mail art. Have fun!