Not all Super Awesome Americans™ are activists, but we all *should* be informed voters—at the very least. We are fortunate to live in a democratic republic that allows us to have a voice in our government. And while our system is far from perfect (more on that here, here, here, here, here), it is our duty as citizens to actively participate in our “democratic experiment”—or run the risk of losing our representation altogether.
And yet, far too many Americans *don’t* vote in our elections. Their reasons are many and varied, but with a two-party system that is vastly divided in their policy goals, it is incredibly important that American citizens who have the right to vote step up and make their voices heard, even though our voices are not equally represented.
(Green Chameleon, Unsplash) 
(Morning Brew, Unsplash) 
(Element5 Digital, Unsplash)
Write Letters To Voters!
If you want to help G.O.T.V. for the U.S. Presidential Election on November 3, a great way to reach potential voters is by writing letters to encourage them to show up at the polls and vote for our country’s future. There are several organizations that are working to connect volunteer letter writers with voters in competitive election districts and swing states!
Please be aware that volunteers have to pay for their own letter-writing materials, including stamps. The current USPS prices for are $0.55 (55 cents) for a First Class Mail Letter, and $0.35 (35 cents) for a Postcard.
- Vote Forward: (votefwd.org) Vote Forward is a nonprofit organization with a mission is to empower grassroots volunteers to help register voters from under-represented demographics and encourage them to vote. Their goal is for volunteers to reach 10 million potential voters this year through letters mailed on October 17, and they target Democratic-leaning registered voters as well as traditionally underrepresented voters throughout the United States. Sign up now to “adopt” voters and then print, complete, sign, and mail your letters, no matter where you live. They have partnered with Daily Kos, Indivisible, Swing Left, and other groups to boost their grassroots efforts.
- Postcards to Voters: (postcardstovoters.org) For folks who don’t have access to a printer (I know I’m always printing things for neighbors!), handwritten postcards through Postcards to Voters. Their strategy is different from Vote Forward’s—rather than waiting for a big mail-in date, volunteers are encouraged to write and send postcards within three days of signing up for a campaign. To participate, you can buy postcards or print your own. Learn more about how to volunteer in their FAQ, and then sign up!
- Virtual Letter Writing Party: If you want to (safely!) partner with other letter-writers, Swing Left has a Virtual Letter Writing Party toolkit with tips and guidelines for hosting a virtual party to write letters through Vote Forward. Democracy is more fun when we do it together!
Other Ways to G.O.T.V.
- The Last Weekends: (thelastweekends.org) The Last Weekends is an initiative of Swing Left and partners with more than 30 Democratic and Progressive groups, including Color of Change, Stand Up America, Flippable, and #VoteProChoice. The group focuses on the last three weekends before the election (in 2020, that’s October 17-November 1), and along with writing letters through their collaboration with Vote Forward, volunteers can sign up to phone bank and get volunteer training tips on writing letters and calling voters.
- Demand the Vote: (demandthevote.com) Demand the Vote aims to serve as a one-stop shop for everything voters need to know about registering to vote and voting in their states. Their site includes links to organizations that are text banking, canvassing, writing postcards, phone banking, registering voters, helping voters get I.D.s, fundraisers, and easy weekly activism.
- Progressive Turnout Project: (turnoutpac.org) The Progressive Turnout Project is a grassroots-funded organization with a single mission: get Democrats to the polls. Their 2020 Strategy includes calling infrequent voters, hand-writing personalized letters to voters, and helping committed voters make and follow through with voting plans. Get involved now and take action with their current campaigns.
- Indivisible: (indivisible.org) Indivisible’s current campaign is focused on flipping the Senate to saveSCOTUS. Their actions include calling, tweeting, and emailing your senators, signing up to phonebank, and writing letters to voters through Vote Forward.
THANK YOU FOR VOLUNTEERING TO GET OUT THE VOTE! It’s a Super Awesome™ thing to do.