Midterm election years are often unfairly maligned as dull and boring. Many of us have become so desensitized to the television ads, the flyers in the mail, and the lawn signs, that we simply disengage entirely from the election year process. It’s the same every time, right? The folks that are going to vote are going to vote, and there is no use in engaging with the ones that aren’t, right?
Although feelings of antipathy toward the state of American political affairs are absolutely valid, real world data does not actually support the belief that there is no worth in engaging. Data from Vote Forward’s 2020 “Big Send” indicated that their voter engagement campaigns increased turnout by nearly one percent! That might not sound like much, but when you’re talking about millions of letters, that itty bitty one percent can translate into hundreds of thousands of votes!
What is Vote Forward?
Vote forward is a nonprofit dedicated to increasing voter turnout. Volunteers send personalized, handwritten letters to folks in underrepresented communities to encourage them to get involved in the voting process.
What I Love About Writing Letters Through Vote Forward
Folks are often surprised to hear that I like writing letters so much.
But what about the paper waste?
Don’t you prefer to talk to people face-to-face?
While I certainly do prefer to speak to folks face to face, I can’t talk to everyone. Vote Forward allows me to connect with folks all over the country, regardless of their location or political stances. I don’t know them, and they don’t know me. As a volunteer, my job is simply to encourage them to get involved, and the Vote Forward letter templates provide the relevant voter registration info for their areas.
As far as waste is concerned, I’m really not concerned about some paper and stamps. Climate justice is social justice, and social justice requires us to build community in whatever ways we can. Art, letters, and community engagement events of all varieties all generate waste, and while we can do our best to use sustainable materials as we do those things,
Benefits to Volunteering with Vote Forward
It’s Non-Partisan Action: You might be surprised to know that I am not a registered Democrat. Although I hold progressive beliefs, I do not belong to the traditional “progressive” party. I believe in non-partisan engagement, and Vote Forward is very clear with their instructions to leave out partisan language and references to specific candidates. The goal is simply to engage with people.
It’s Convenient: Writing your letters can be done any time and any place that is convenient for you. I like to work on mine in the afternoons when it’s too hot to work outside. Or, sometimes I’ll work on them if I’m feeling too tired to do much else, but don’t really feeling like doing “nothing.” It’s a good filler activity for those times that I’m toddler-wrangling and need an activity to keep my hands busy while I supervise a busy kiddo.
It’s Relatively Cheap: Stamps and paper don’t cost much in comparison to some of the other ways to get involved in the democratic process. Even if you’re on a limited budget, (I sure was when I started volunteering!) you can adopt as few as five voters at a time. During the 2020 election cycle, I did just twenty letters. Although I had the time for more, that was all the money we could spare on stamps. I did what I could do, and I knew that my little action was a drop in a bucket of many other little actions.
It Makes You Feel Hopeful: This world is messy and complicated, and sometimes it’s hard to find hope. I find hope in thinking about how connected we all are, and something about taking pen to paper amplifies that hope in my mind. Someone I’ll never meet might be inspired to vote, simple because I wrote them a letter telling them that their voice and their vote matters.
Your Words Are Powerful
There are 121 days between the day I post this and The Big Send. I sincerely hope you will consider getting involved, and if you do I hope you’ll share your experiences with us and the team at Vote Forward.
Always remember the power you have to create change, my friends!