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klook

(12,884 posts)
Wed Nov 25, 2020, 02:13 PM Nov 2020

New Vote Forward campaigns opened for letters to Ga. voters!

As many of you already know, Vote Forward is orchestrating campaigns to send GOTV letters to Georgia voters for the all-important Jan. 5, 2021 U.S. Senate runoff election. Now that all voters in the first two runoff campaigns have been "adopted" -- 1) encouraging Georgians to register to vote and 2) encouraging Georgia voters who requested a mail ballot this year in the general election to request and return their runoff ballots as soon as possible -- volunteers are now writing letters to encourage Georgians who are likely to vote in person (either early in-person or on election day).

There are currently more than a million addresses available for "adoption" in this campaign. You can adopt as few as five at a time, or 20 at a go if you're feeling more motivated. There are guidelines on the Vote Forward site to help you get started:
https://votefwd.org/instructions

Please note: You do NOT use your return address on these letters, and you only need to sign with your first name and last initial, so there are no privacy concerns for volunteers. And the voters' names and addresses come from public voter registration records, so this is not an invasion of their privacy, either.

The letters we're sending for Vote Forward include non-partisan handwritten messages. The letters go to voters who are registered Democrats who haven't necessarily voted consistently and may need a little extra motivation to tip them over the edge to actually take the step of voting. Research by Vote Forward and Swing Left has shown that these voters may be turned off by partisan or guilt-tripping messages, so we keep the letters positive and encouraging. (Also, as anybody with a Georgia mailing address, TV, or phone number knows, the whole state is already awash in partisan and guilt-inducing propaganda.)

If you want to do something to help, this campaign is a great option. I sent 150 letters before the November general election to voters in North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia, and I've adopted 50 Georgia voters (so far) for the Senate runoff. As I write these, I love thinking about each recipient reading my letter and making a plan to vote, maybe even telling friends and family to do the same. If we boost turnout by just a little bit, combined with all the other efforts going on, we can really win these two Senate seats!

To register with Vote Forward: https://votefwd.org
More information about the Georgia letter-writing campaigns: https://votefwd.org/posts/Georgia-Runoff-campaigns

Happy epistolizing! (Yes, I looked it up, and that is a real word!)
#votefwd

4 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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New Vote Forward campaigns opened for letters to Ga. voters! (Original Post) klook Nov 2020 OP
The group I belong to is sending postcards. murielm99 Nov 2020 #1
Very cool! A friend told me about a postcard campaign, by 360.org, I think. klook Nov 2020 #2
Unfortunately, no. murielm99 Nov 2020 #3
Well, I'm glad you guys are doing this! klook Nov 2020 #4

murielm99

(31,433 posts)
1. The group I belong to is sending postcards.
Wed Nov 25, 2020, 02:24 PM
Nov 2020

They are hand-written postcards. We address the voter(s) by first name and sign our first names only.

klook

(12,884 posts)
2. Very cool! A friend told me about a postcard campaign, by 360.org, I think.
Wed Nov 25, 2020, 02:25 PM
Nov 2020

I love postcards, and would enjoy doing that as well. Is the campaign you're involved with something we can all participate in?

murielm99

(31,433 posts)
3. Unfortunately, no.
Wed Nov 25, 2020, 02:28 PM
Nov 2020

All the postcards have been distributed. We will be mailing them between December 26th and 28th.

There is no time to order any more. Our group is doing one thousand.

We did this for swing states in the general election, too. The personal nature of this outreach does have an effect.

klook

(12,884 posts)
4. Well, I'm glad you guys are doing this!
Wed Nov 25, 2020, 02:36 PM
Nov 2020

Going door-to-door is not an option in the pandemic, and as someone who dislikes receiving unsolicited phone calls and texts, I'm not a good candidate for phone canvassing. Writing these letters is perfect for me.

I hope we're celebrating two more Senate seat pickups in January!

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