Our New Goal is 15 Million Letters!
Originally, we launched The Big Send campaign with what seemed like an impossibly ambitious goal: send 10 million letters to voters. As the election draws closer, we've been thinking about how we can make even more of a difference.
Originally, we launched The Big Send campaign with what seemed like an impossibly ambitious goal: send 10 million letters to voters ahead of the November 2020 election. As that election draws closer, we've been thinking about how we at Vote Forward can make even more of a difference.
That's why, even though we just reached our 10 million letter goal, we're not stopping now. With the unprecedented enthusiasm and commitment we're seeing from volunteers, we believe we can make an even bigger impact on voter turnout than we anticipated.
To meet this moment, we're raising our goal by 50 percent, to 15 million letters. This number might feel huge — it does to us! But then again, we thought 10 million letters would be a stretch, and you've already helped us accomplish that with weeks left to go before the official mail date. Take a moment to congratulate yourself and recognize the incredible milestone you've helped us reach.
But not too long of a moment. Because there's more work to be done here.
We've designed our approach to focus your letter-writing efforts where we think they'll be most needed. This means adding campaigns in new states, reaching new voters in our existing campaigns, and a second, more informational "how to vote" letter to voters in certain key places. To learn more, keep reading!
Expanding the Map
Over the past few weeks, we've already added some new states: Kansas, Minnesota, and South Carolina. With our increased goal of 15 million letters, we'll be expanding into new key states, starting with Alabama and Mississippi. These states received enhanced voter protection laws under the Voting Rights Act due to their history of racial discrimination, but those protections were removed by the Supreme Court in 2013, leaving voters of color in these states once again at risk. We're sending letters to voters in these states to encourage them to exercise their right to vote, in places where that right has so often been suppressed or denied.
Reaching New Voters
We've also added new voters into our 30 (!) existing campaigns. Originally, we were very restrictive in choosing voters for our campaigns given the cap of 10 million letters. With our new 15 million goal, we're able to expand our reach to even more voters in these existing states.
"How To Vote" Letters
We're launching an expansion of our program: "how to vote" letters. These are very similar to the "please vote" letters you've been writing, but alongside your handwritten messages, they include something new: a website and a phone number* to help the voter find clear, current, and comprehensive information about the election and how to vote in their state.
Based on our own research and a close reading of work done by our allies, we believe we can have an even greater impact on voter turnout this year if we double down and send this second "how to vote" letter. The evidence suggests that each new, different piece of communication can boost voter turnout, so we believe this "how to vote" letter will inspire even more participation. And since things are changing so rapidly this year, we also think helping voters find the information they need is just the right thing to do.
Social Campaigns
These "how to vote" letters will be sent to voters in our existing core social purpose ("A") campaigns — voters in historically underrepresented groups who we believe are unlikely to vote, and additionally, who live in states with recent histories of voter suppression. These states include Florida, Georgia, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Political Campaigns
These "how to vote" letters will be sent to voters in our existing political ("B") campaigns — Democratic-leaning voters who we believe are unlikely to vote, and additionally, who live in states that are especially important to the 2020 election. These states include Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
* If you're wondering why we don't print key election information like early voting dates directly on any of our letters, it’s because that information can change as state governments and courts make new decisions. We can't risk communicating even very slightly inaccurate information about the election.