Join us for our May Community Meeting… and GOTV Postcard launch!

Our community meeting will be May 11th at the Salmon Hatchery Classroom.

After the meeting, we can stroll over to Blazing Bagels if folks want to grab a bite and continue conversations.

Postcard Program Launch

Our Get Out the Vote (GOTV) Postcard program has launched! We will be writing postcards to likely Dems in the 8th Congressional District.

If you haven’t reserved postcards yet, there will be postcards available at the meeting. (If you have pre-ordered, nothing’s changed: you’ll still get your postcards when/where arranged.)

Along with your postcards, you’ll receive instructions, an address list, 3 approved, research-tested message options to choose from, and for those who need it, postage (as long as funds last).

Postcard FAQ

Our group’s Postcard Program has been one of our most successful group efforts. In 2020, 50,000 postcards were written by Indivisibles in our partnership. We’re looking to top our previous efforts this year!

Who is part of this program?

Indivisible Washington’s 8th CD is coordinating this program, but we are partnering other Washington Indivisibles from:

• Olympia Indivisible
• Indivisible Bellingham
• Wallingford Indivisible
• Port Townsend Indivisible
• Indivisible Bainbridge Island
• Rosyln/Ellensburg Indivisibles

The program is also supported by Indivisible National Grow Grant program.

Why send postcards to voters?

Our goal is to Get Out the Vote! There’s a lot at stake, and protecting our Democratic majorities is critical. GOTV will help us do that! 

A further goal is to increase engagement in our democracy. It’s said that, “Democracy is not a spectator sport” for good reason. Writing postcards to voters has been a gateway to activism for Indivisible members and for hundreds of thousands of volunteers across the country. Postcards also help grassroots groups like ours recruit new members, build community, and win elections. Writing postcards is an especially great option for remote activism.

How do we know postcards work?

It has been proven in numerous studies that postcards increase Democratic turnout. The Progressive Turnout Project (PTP), the largest grassroots voter contact organization in the US has conducted award-winning research that proves postcards can increase Democratic turnout by 1.3%. In 2020 this difference added thousands of votes in states critical to President Biden’s victory. Our postcard programs follow the data driven protocols shared within the progressive political science community. The Indivisible WA-8 postcard program mirrors all the best practices of Postcards to Swing States/Progressive Turnout Project.

How does it work?

For members of our chapter and the above partner chapters, we provide postcards, voter addresses, a research-based message to voters, and instructions – all for free. For those who are not one of our partners and live out of the area, we can provide the addresses and instructions and a link to purchase the postcards at a discounted price. 
 
You complete your handwritten message and mail the cards to voters on the instructed date. We recommend that you order postcards/addresses in batches of 100. If 100 feels like too many to take on by the required “mail by” date, recruiting friends, family or co-workers is a fun and effective way to complete the cards. How many times have you heard someone ask, “What can I do?” You have an answer and the tools for that!  We can even provide you guidance on how to host a fun and productive postcard writing party – activism in action!  But no worries, we can also provide postcards in fewer numbers if needed.

What about stamps?

You are encouraged to provide the stamps. Remember to buy Postcard Stamps, which cost less than Forever Stamps for letters. Postcard Stamps can be used to mail a postcard forever, regardless of the current price. Order your stamps early! Right now, Postcard Stamps cost $0.53 but the price goes up yet again in July ‘24. The easiest way to get stamps is online at USPS.com/store, but keep in mind it can take up to two weeks for them to deliver. You can also buy Postcard Stamps at your local post office. You can also use stamps with specific monetary values, as long as they add up to the correct amount on the mailing date.  

For those who are restricted by the cost of Postcard Stamps, we will provide postage on a limited basis as long as funds last…just ask! 

How do we decide the best mailing date?

We very carefully plan when to have volunteers mail the postcards. It has been found that mailing as close to the election as possible has the greatest impact to GOTV. We closely monitor USPS delivery times to make sure our postcards will arrive at voters’ homes when they are most effective – not too early so the message is forgotten, and not so late that they arrive after the election, which would defeat our GOTV goal! 

Please mail your postcards on the date provided with your address list packet. Do not mail them as you finish them!

How do I get my postcards if I’m not at the May meeting?

You can reach out to Sheryl, or to our general email box indivisiblewa8@gmail.com and your message will be forwarded to her.