1/
"Tony, why are you asking us to write for someone in a very red part of Georgia who has no chance of winning instead of writing to purged voters in WI or for people like Amy McGrath? My group wants better reasons to write."
This is a question that we receive regularly.
"Tony, why are you asking us to write for someone in a very red part of Georgia who has no chance of winning instead of writing to purged voters in WI or for people like Amy McGrath? My group wants better reasons to write."
This is a question that we receive regularly.
/2
In one form or another, some of our best writers and volunteer group leaders ask us this. It's picking up with regularity as we get further into the 2020 frenzy. So, let me try to address the different points and you can let me know if these answers suffice.
In one form or another, some of our best writers and volunteer group leaders ask us this. It's picking up with regularity as we get further into the 2020 frenzy. So, let me try to address the different points and you can let me know if these answers suffice.
/3
Q: Why do we write in red areas where our Dem candidate has such an uphill battle to win?
A: If we have writing capacity in an otherwise clear calendar, I feel it is a responsible thing to offer as one of the postcarding choices. Being as forthright as possible explaining...
Q: Why do we write in red areas where our Dem candidate has such an uphill battle to win?
A: If we have writing capacity in an otherwise clear calendar, I feel it is a responsible thing to offer as one of the postcarding choices. Being as forthright as possible explaining...
/4
...to our volunteers what's at stake and what the odds are, writers can decide how many or how few (if any) addresses they want to request. We never force people to take a minimum number of addresses per campaign.
Some red areas have surprisingly flipped since we started.
...to our volunteers what's at stake and what the odds are, writers can decide how many or how few (if any) addresses they want to request. We never force people to take a minimum number of addresses per campaign.
Some red areas have surprisingly flipped since we started.
/5
In this Trump era, it's not been normal in terms of voter engagement and turnout. So, we are happy to help boost turnout wherever we are invited. Even if it might mean no win this time. Some places haven't had a strong Dem run in ages. If we can boost turnout, maybe...
In this Trump era, it's not been normal in terms of voter engagement and turnout. So, we are happy to help boost turnout wherever we are invited. Even if it might mean no win this time. Some places haven't had a strong Dem run in ages. If we can boost turnout, maybe...
/6
...next time, a stronger Dem candidate will consider running to close the gap a little bit more. In some places, it will take more than one try. And if brave candidates stick their necks out to run without fanfare, large donors, or big local Dem party operations to help...
...next time, a stronger Dem candidate will consider running to close the gap a little bit more. In some places, it will take more than one try. And if brave candidates stick their necks out to run without fanfare, large donors, or big local Dem party operations to help...
/7
...I take it as a point of pride to be able, now and then, to lend a hand(written #PostcardsToVoters) and do our part.
Imagine why so few good Dems ever run in ruby red areas. No one or very few people are there to help them. We can't write everywhere every time. But...
...I take it as a point of pride to be able, now and then, to lend a hand(written #PostcardsToVoters) and do our part.
Imagine why so few good Dems ever run in ruby red areas. No one or very few people are there to help them. We can't write everywhere every time. But...
/8
...we can do what we can to avoid sitting around wringing our hands at how bad we have it in some places. Let's take the fight to the Republicans where and when they least expect it. Let's give a small measure of hope to lonely Dem voters. You never know what else besides...
...we can do what we can to avoid sitting around wringing our hands at how bad we have it in some places. Let's take the fight to the Republicans where and when they least expect it. Let's give a small measure of hope to lonely Dem voters. You never know what else besides...
/9
...a vote in that next election your grassroots postcards might spur. New volunteer writers? Maybe. Or the spark/incentive/motivation someone needed to urge them to get more involved in their area?
These are some of the reasons we write to Dems in red areas about Dems.
...a vote in that next election your grassroots postcards might spur. New volunteer writers? Maybe. Or the spark/incentive/motivation someone needed to urge them to get more involved in their area?
These are some of the reasons we write to Dems in red areas about Dems.
/10
Q: Why aren't we writing to all those purged voters in WI?
A: The number one reason voters end up on these purged lists is that they haven't voted in a certain number of Federal elections. They are dormant or idle for many years.
In my experience, when voters move, they...
Q: Why aren't we writing to all those purged voters in WI?
A: The number one reason voters end up on these purged lists is that they haven't voted in a certain number of Federal elections. They are dormant or idle for many years.
In my experience, when voters move, they...
/11
...they rarely ever send a written notice to their local elections administrator asking that their voter registration be canceled since they're leaving the county. You can ask your own local office to give you the numbers of how many voters write to tell them they've moving.
...they rarely ever send a written notice to their local elections administrator asking that their voter registration be canceled since they're leaving the county. You can ask your own local office to give you the numbers of how many voters write to tell them they've moving.
/12
The reality is that people move all the time without notifying the people managing the voter file. It's not prudent and it's not safe to leave dormant voter records on the rolls in perpetuity. They become too tempting for people trying to commit voter fraud.
The reality is that people move all the time without notifying the people managing the voter file. It's not prudent and it's not safe to leave dormant voter records on the rolls in perpetuity. They become too tempting for people trying to commit voter fraud.
/13
Secretaries of State of both parties have regularly conducted these reasonable cleanups from the beginning of computer databases for voter file maintenance. It's not new. It's not, in and of itself, a nefarious act.
And when it's done using industry best practices...
Secretaries of State of both parties have regularly conducted these reasonable cleanups from the beginning of computer databases for voter file maintenance. It's not new. It's not, in and of itself, a nefarious act.
And when it's done using industry best practices...
/14
...like comparing voters' names and addresses to the USPS National Change of Address (NCOA) service to positively match to people who filled out and submitted mail forwarding requests, there's really no good reason to spend time and postage writing to addresses where...
...like comparing voters' names and addresses to the USPS National Change of Address (NCOA) service to positively match to people who filled out and submitted mail forwarding requests, there's really no good reason to spend time and postage writing to addresses where...
/15
...the voters have not lived for 4, 6, or more years. (I saw a list of purged voters one group was trying to get us to write where some voters had been dormant for 8 years.)
Don't tell me that minority voters sat out both of Obama's elections AND filled out a mail...
...the voters have not lived for 4, 6, or more years. (I saw a list of purged voters one group was trying to get us to write where some voters had been dormant for 8 years.)
Don't tell me that minority voters sat out both of Obama's elections AND filled out a mail...
/16
...forwarding form at the Post Office and try to scare me or guilt me into setting up hundreds of thousands of addresses in our system for our valued volunteers to chase "ghosts." I won't do it. I don't care if that makes someone think I'm not a genuine liberal.
...forwarding form at the Post Office and try to scare me or guilt me into setting up hundreds of thousands of addresses in our system for our valued volunteers to chase "ghosts." I won't do it. I don't care if that makes someone think I'm not a genuine liberal.
17
If any of these groups holding press conferences and sending out press releases and so on touting that there are hundreds of thousands of voters being robbed of their right to vote want our help, the first thing they will do is clean the file of all moved voters.
If any of these groups holding press conferences and sending out press releases and so on touting that there are hundreds of thousands of voters being robbed of their right to vote want our help, the first thing they will do is clean the file of all moved voters.
/18
Q: Why don't we write for Amy McGrath (or some other marquee candidate)?
A: It's January. Their election isn't until November. They aren't even the nominee yet because their state's Democratic primary has not been held. We can't start writing before there's a nominee.
Q: Why don't we write for Amy McGrath (or some other marquee candidate)?
A: It's January. Their election isn't until November. They aren't even the nominee yet because their state's Democratic primary has not been held. We can't start writing before there's a nominee.
/19
We also can't send "Get Out The Vote" notes this early. No matter what you may think, no one is going to get a reminder in January to vote in November and have that be effective. We're back to wanting to be really stingy about how our volunteers' time and postage is used.
We also can't send "Get Out The Vote" notes this early. No matter what you may think, no one is going to get a reminder in January to vote in November and have that be effective. We're back to wanting to be really stingy about how our volunteers' time and postage is used.
/20
Decades of campaigns have determined some fundamental basics upon which everyone in the business can agree. And one of those is the practical window for effective GOTV messaging.
You may ask, well, then, why don't we write now and mail later?
Some groups do. We will not.
Decades of campaigns have determined some fundamental basics upon which everyone in the business can agree. And one of those is the practical window for effective GOTV messaging.
You may ask, well, then, why don't we write now and mail later?
Some groups do. We will not.
/21
Since we have campaigns back to back month after month, the prospect of writing for large statewide lists as much as 10 months in advance would mean we'd have to reject many campaigns in between Fall elections.
Plus, we have such a large volunteer base, we're able to...
Since we have campaigns back to back month after month, the prospect of writing for large statewide lists as much as 10 months in advance would mean we'd have to reject many campaigns in between Fall elections.
Plus, we have such a large volunteer base, we're able to...
/22
...write incredible numbers of addresses when we get closer to the Fall. In 2018, we wrote 1.9 million for 32 campaigns just in the two months leading up to the midterms.
When you consider the logistical complications of getting 10,000 or more volunteers to all remember...
...write incredible numbers of addresses when we get closer to the Fall. In 2018, we wrote 1.9 million for 32 campaigns just in the two months leading up to the midterms.
When you consider the logistical complications of getting 10,000 or more volunteers to all remember...
/23
...to find and mail those cards they'd written months earlier, it just adds up to an operating model that doesn't hold many advantages over what we do so well now.
Want us to be able to write twice as many for the Fall? Help us recruit twice as many volunteers.
...to find and mail those cards they'd written months earlier, it just adds up to an operating model that doesn't hold many advantages over what we do so well now.
Want us to be able to write twice as many for the Fall? Help us recruit twice as many volunteers.
/24
Writing "just in time" works. We've done it for three Novembers so far. We've done it for huge lists that would be impossible for other similar groups.
We're going to keep writing to some red areas when we're asked and have capacity.
We're going to keep writing GOTV...
Writing "just in time" works. We've done it for three Novembers so far. We've done it for huge lists that would be impossible for other similar groups.
We're going to keep writing to some red areas when we're asked and have capacity.
We're going to keep writing GOTV...
/25
...postcards with as much or as little advance time as makes sense for that campaign.
We're only going to consider postcarding projects that value your time and postage no matter how tempting the latest hot topic might be.
We're going to keep at this as long as you're...
...postcards with as much or as little advance time as makes sense for that campaign.
We're only going to consider postcarding projects that value your time and postage no matter how tempting the latest hot topic might be.
We're going to keep at this as long as you're...
/26
...willing to share the mission with us and for as long as campaigns are willing to trust us with a role in their winning GOTV plan.
We may do some things differently than what you've seen elsewhere. Keep those questions coming. An informed volunteer is a happy one! =)
...willing to share the mission with us and for as long as campaigns are willing to trust us with a role in their winning GOTV plan.
We may do some things differently than what you've seen elsewhere. Keep those questions coming. An informed volunteer is a happy one! =)
