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“Personal Postcards to Potential Voters” is a new Democrats Abroad Get-Out-The-Vote campaign for the 2020 election that anyone can do at home! 

This simple, direct action campaign empowers a DA volunteer to easily reach out to other Democratic potential voters and their social network to motivate them to register, request their ballot and vote.

This election is the fight of our lives.

The nation and the world are counting on our votes,

 but only a third of DA members actually vote!

Our members need our support, now more than ever,

to help keep them connected,

hopeful,

empowered

and active.

Scroll down for a "QUICK START KIT" to get your postcard campaign going within a couple weeks! 

To start postcarding in your country or for more information,

please contact:   Irisita Azary,

Chair, Personal Postcards to Potential Voters,

by clicking HERE for a Google Form. 

All the materials you need to start are in files listed in the "QUICK START KIT" below.  

Irisita Azary can provide additional materials useful in different situations and put you in touch with other Chapters and Country Committees who are already running campaigns. 

No need to "reinvent the wheel"!  Join Team Postcard!

How does it work?

DA volunteers write a brief, personal message on a postcard that has printed inspirational line art and lettering that is easy for them to color.  Americans should write the message, but anyone of any age or nationality can color.  All materials necessary to quickly start the campaign are available for downloading below.  Printing and postage is paid for by each Country Committee.  Postcards are collected in one location for central checking, addressing, stamping and mailing within each country. (Only a few central volunteers with confidentiality training in each country handle name and address data, which will be supplied by DA Global.)

Who?
Postcards prepared by DA members can be sent to:

• Democrats Abroad members who vote in these battleground states: 

  AZ, CO, FL, GA, MI, MN, MT, NC, OH, PA, and WI ~ or more states!
  

• Democrats Abroad members on no-email and/or no-phone list

Why?
Person-to-person communication is the most effective way to influence behavior. A hand-colored and hand-written postcard is an empowering way to reach out to another individual voter, motivating them to register, request their ballot and vote.  People coloring and writing postcards are engaged for weeks or longer, will certainly register themselves and will activate their social networks as well!  Coloring postcards is the easiest way to take direct action and is both calming and empowering in these difficult times.  Starting a postcard campaign is a wonderful service to offer your members.

Wouldn't you feel great after producing a postcard that takes direct action to convince another Democrat to vote this year?  Wouldn't you tell everyone you know what you're doing and be sure they are registered, too?  Wouldn't you be intrigued and charmed if you opened your postbox to find a hand-made postcard? Wouldn't you pay attention to its simple message to encourage you to do something you do care about?

• Only a third of Democrats Abroad members actually vote and less than 10% of American voters abroad overall vote.

• If we can get more of our Democratic voters abroad to vote, we could be the margin of victory in 2020!

What does this cost?
Printing black line art and text on white postcards is quite inexpensive.  Postage is more expensive and, of course, depends on postal rates in your country.  However, people will respond well to fundraising appeals for postage because of the direct connection between their donation and the number of voters who will pull a personal postcard out of their mailboxes and be motivated to vote.  People see a direct result and have a direct, personal impact when they donate.

When?
Start writing and coloring postcards immediately!  The few central collection point volunteers in each country will check, affix name and address labels and stamp all the postcards sent within their country.  Mailing will take place as determined by DA Global for maximum impact.  Expect to mail by the first of September at the latest, depending on specifics of national holiday schedules.  Please have all postcards ready by mid-summer at the latest in case of last minute issues.  Mailing late could be too late to have an impact.  Please be ready early.

How many?
Based on our experience in Germany, a handful of people can easily do a couple hundred postcards and a dozen or so people can do 500 or more.   You can do this! 

QUICK START KIT

• "How a Small Group of Enthusiastic People Can Do a Postcard Campaign Quickly"

• POSTCARD, FULL IMAGE SIDE:  This is the PDF of the full image side of the postcard ready to print at A6 size.  The image is black line art.  I suggest 300 gr stock, recycled paper if possible.  Lower weight paper would not stand up to the unusual amoung of handling involved in handing out, producing and collecting postcards before final posting.  
(Ready to print A6 size; suggest 300gr, recycled paper)

• POSTCARD, ADDRESS SIDE:  This is the PDF of the address side of the postcard ready to print at A6 size.  The image is black line art and text.  I suggest 300 gr stock, recycled paper if possible.  Lower weight paper would not stand up to the unusual amoung of handling involved in handing out, producing and collecting postcards before final posting.  
(Ready to print A6 size; suggest 300gr, recycled paper)

• INSPIRATION FOR POSTCARDING:  This is a one-page black and white version of the postcarding inspiration ideas listed on the top right side of this wiki (beginning with "color to music...".

PLEASE GIVE AN INSTRUCTION SHEET TO EVERY PERSON WHO TAKES POSTCARDS!

• INSTRUCTION SHEET:

This is a one-sheet instruction sheet for producing a postcard that is ESSENTIAL for EVERYONE who will produce a postcard! 

Please customize with the name and address to which postcards should be mailed for central checking, addressing, stamping and posting.  Please add an email address for questions about your country campaign.  (Please adjust font size as needed to fit nicely on one page once the file downloads on your computer.)

Please also customize with instructions to contribute for postage costs or with the value of stamps (for your in-country postal rate) people could put on themselves if they wish.  Be sure it is clear that this is voluntary.  Some people may not be able to do this financially or logistically, but still can produce postcards.

• SCREEN SHOT OF DATABASE FILTER #1 TO USE:  This is a screen shot of a filter to use in the DA database for your country to the identify Democrat Abroad addresses in your country that vote in battleground states.

• SCREEN SHOT OF DATABASE FILTER #2 TO USE:  This is a screen shot of a filter to use in the DA database for your country to identify all Democrat Abroad addesses in your country that are on no-email and no-call lists.

This election is the fight of our lives.

The nation and the world are counting on our votes,

 but only a third of DA members actually vote!

Our members need our support, now more than ever,

to help keep them connected,

hopeful,

empowered

and active.