by Valerie Jordan

When I reached out to volunteer with Multnomah County Democrats, I knew exactly how I wanted to contribute: as someone who’s been writing postcards to voters locally and across the country since 2020, I wanted to hold a postcard writing party. 

Postcards, when used in concert with several other reminders to vote, are an accessible tool to get a large number of volunteers involved in a campaign in a meaningful way. When postcarding targets high propensity voters, it makes a difference in close elections. This was true for our May 20th Special District Election in Multnomah County.

Multnomah County Democrats partnered with the Vote Yes for MHCC Campaign, an effort to support ballot measure 26-258 which would secure funding to repair 50-year-old buildings, provide upgrades and accessibility at Mount Hood Community College. This campaign supplied postcards, stamps, names and addresses of the voters—and the script for the cards. I provided a postcard writing party: my home, a table, chairs and snacks. In between eating brownies and getting to know each other, my nine guests and I wrote 200 postcards to local voters explaining the consequences of this bond for Mt. Hood Community College. All in all, it was a pleasant evening of writing and making new friends. 

Did our postcard party make a difference? Yes! The bond proposal won by fewer than 130 votes. We were one postcard party among several, but I know our work mattered.

“Every act of support matters when the vote is so close, and I am so grateful for the support you and your team were able to provide,” acknowledged Claire Culmer, campaign manager. “[The campaign] sent over 5,000 handwritten postcards to early, high propensity, partisan voters, who would likely be swayed by receiving a postcard. We knew we couldn’t physically canvas each voter in the district. These postcards were a great way to reach out to folks on a personal level and ask for their support.”

Valerie Jordan is a lifelong Democrat who lives in SE Portland.

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From the Multnomah County Democrats:
Are You Ready to Host Your Own Postcard Party?

If you’d like to organize a postcard-writing party in your community, we are here to help! Simply fill out the MultDems volunteer form and include a note that you’re interested in hosting an event. We’ll provide you with the tools, information and the support you need to get organized and make your gathering a success.

Beyond writing to our own elected officials, we also encourage you to check out Postcards to Voters, an excellent resource that keeps track of elections across the country where your postcards can make a real difference in Democratic outcomes. VoteForward organizes volunteers to write handwritten letters to unregistered and low-propensity voters encouraging them to participate in our democracy. Turnout is crucial in elections; every postcard and letter to voters counts in keeping the wheels of democracy turning!