You’ve got mail!
Manny Hotchkiss – Portland Chapter
When our chapter discussed the current threats to democracy, we felt overwhelmed with the complexity of the authoritarian plans some fear-mongering groups have for the US. We decided to take action to get out the vote for the fall election. We discovered that many groups, who also trust in our democracy, encourage more people to vote by sending cards and letters to prospective voters. If nothing else, a personal card might brighten someone’s day.
Our chapter ordered free postcards through www.turnoutpac.org/postcards/. We get to choose which state our cards will go to.
At our next meeting, we hand-wrote and addressed the postcards to folks on the address list that Turn Out Pac provides. Turn Out Pac also has suggestions and guidelines for writing the cards. We won’t tell folks who to vote for but will stress the importance of voting. We will provide stamps and mail the postcards, thinking it’s a small investment for greater voter participation. (A list of voter mailing organizations is available at https://tinyurl.com/writefordemocracy.)
Some voters may be afraid their vote won’t be accepted. Sometimes voter rolls have been purged of those who haven’t voted in a while. A postcard might remind the voter to check in advance to see if they’re still registered. Some states have made it harder to vote. A letter could suggest voters make a voting plan.
VoteForward (votefwd.org/impact), another letter-writing group, emphasizes the effectiveness of personal letters. One testimonial said,
“My son was an election worker in a north Austin precinct. A young man, on entering the polling place, announced that he was voting because someone sent him a handwritten letter encouraging him to cast his ballot. He said he was so impressed by the letter he convinced a friend to come along with him to vote, too.”
Some Affiliates plan to write cards or letters on their own and mail the letters on the recommended dates, well before election day. I may be reluctant to tell a passerby in person that it’s important to vote, but when I’m sitting with my paper and pen, I can anonymously carefully consider how to encourage someone to vote. I could even add a smiley face or flower. I like postcards, thinking that others might also see my message.
We are reaching out, in the Spirit of Maryknoll, to invite greater participation. Some of us also call or write letters to legislators, visit their offices, display yard or window signs, organize community gatherings to discuss issues, and even peacefully demonstrate on a particular issue, such as Cease Fire. Our actions are based on our values and concerns.
As Affiliates, we take action!
This article first appeared in the September/October 2024 issue of Not So Far Afield.