As the statistics start to come in it is clear that your postcards did their job! You personally only had one vote, but your postcard efforts got more people out to vote. All the postcard writing you did ensured more votes than just your one. I am proud of that effort we made and I know you are too.
This is information recently from the Center for Common Ground/ Reclaim Our Vote:
In Georgia, for example, a total of about 1.25 million addresses were pulled for the campaign. About a million received CFCG postcards, but 250,000 did not. Among those who received the cards, turnout was 4.9% higher than those who did not. We are looking further to see how particular similar counties matched up, areas where we also phone banked, areas that had democracy centers, etc. and that will be forthcoming. There was also an increase in turnout in the Virginia primary as well.
POSTCARD EFFICACY DATA
Virginia Congressional Primaries – 2.42% increase in Black voter turnout!
We analyzed the Virginia Congressional Primaries, comparing the voter turnout of Black voters we contacted with that of those we did not. The results are impressive: our postcards increased voter turnout by 2.42%. In other words, voters who received postcards were 36% more likely to show up at the polls than those who did not.
Turnout Comparison:
Turnout of Voters Who Received Postcards: 9.15%
Turnout of Voters Who Did Not Receive Postcards: 6.73%
Georgia General – 4.9% increase in Black voter turnout!
You read that right! In Georgia, there was a 4.9% increase in voter turnout with Black voters who received a Reclaim Our Vote postcard compared to those who did not.
Turnout Comparison:
Turnout of Voters Who Received Postcards: 66.1%
Turnout of Voters Who Did Not Receive Postcards: 61.2%
We were so very hopeful. We are less than 50 days in since January 20th, here at this time and place.
What do we want to do about it? Let me know your feelings. Are you wanting to work the next elections with the same fervor? Local, Regional, and National personal post card writing works. So, I’m polling you all: Who wants to write? Who can take on some leadership? Who can organize? I ask about it because I must pass the baton for now.
We are meeting under shade structure at 9 AM Pacific DAYLIGHT Time this Sunday, March 9th. Please come if you can and we can begin a leadership transition process for postcarding at UUSM.
There is a close election in Wisconsin for a state supreme court member. That election is 3 weeks away. Election Day is April 1st, 2025. There are funds in the UUSM GOTV “bank”. More will be needed soon enough and the grant provider can be asked again. Who can and will help get/keep our identified issues supported on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court? Who will commit to taking on some of these tasks for certain dates while others can do same for different dates? If you can step in even for some of the work, you can create a great new working team. I hope so.
Consider the process we ran last year. Some or all of this could be done again. If you recall how we did this last time around, in addition to some groups and individuals that wrote at home, there were set-ups on Sundays at 9AM through about noon under the shade structure.
In the UUSM calendar, the shade structure area was booked for that time every week to minimize meeting clashes.
- There was the setting up of the encouraging decorations and banner. (Starting about 8:15)
- There was the pick-up and set-up of bagels, fruit and cookies. (Saturday morning)
- There was the set up of tables and chairs.
- There was the clean-up of same.
- There was the ordering of postcard materials.
- There was the ordering of names and addresses and the printing of stickers
- There was the organizing and filing of the names such that name sets could be distributed to writers, and be logged.
- Afterward names and cards distribution there was the translation of those logs into excel so our progress could be followed and help us know when to order more names and cards etc so we didn’t run out. Remember, together we mailed out 37,400 personally written cards.
- There was the ordering and receiving of the sailboat stamps (the least costly stamp specific to postcards).
- There was the careful organization of the keeping of the written work safe until it was the time for them to be mailed.
- There was pick up and delivery of post card materials to various writers around the West Side and Culver City. Some people out of town got materials mailed to them to work on.
- There was the taking of the cards to various post offices to maximize the safety of the completed work.
Let us know your level of commitment and capabilities. If enough of you can do a part in addition to the writing, then, again, more votes will come from the effort. Thank you, thank you, and thank you again for your work last year and perhaps for what can be done this year.
—Brad Hutchinson
