Pennsylvania Supreme Court 2025 Letter Writing Campaigns
Everything you need to know to participate in this innovative campaign
In our campaign to contact voters in the Pennsylvania state supreme court elections, we are testing a new approach: letters that invite voters to contact us back.
Vote Forward has an ambitious research & innovation agenda to find new effective tactics between now and 2028, and our 2025 Pennsylvania State Supreme Court letter writing Campaigns are the first step. Letter writing has proven to be an effective way to influence voter behavior, especially in “low salience” elections with low information and low turnout. With these new campaigns, we are extending this proven tactic to address an important question: how we might build deeper relationships between volunteers and voters? We believe evolving from one-time, one-directional outreach like our traditional letter writing campaigns to programs that foster sustained, repeated engagement could be more effective and rewarding for everyone involved. We’ll take our learnings from this first reciprocal contact test and use them to inform future directions.
This will be the first time we’ve designed a way for voters to respond to our letters and connect with our volunteers—turning a light, one-way touchpoint into an opportunity for deeper engagement. It’s just the beginning, but we think it’s an exciting and meaningful step.
Voters will be able to respond to the letters we send them via a phone number printed in the letter. Voters can text or call that number, and trained volunteers on Vote Forward’s Voter Support Team will have the chance to talk with them, providing non-partisan voting information and sharing their perspective on why voting matters.
Here’s how it works:
Starting June 9th, you can adopt Pennsylvania voters, write letters, store them somewhere safe, and mail letters during the mail window of September 2nd through October 28, 2025. You can choose from Vote Forward’s two letter writing campaigns for Pennsylvania: our Social campaign to younger voters, and our Political campaign to Democratic-leaning voters. The voters in both campaigns are listed as relatively unlikely to vote, according to our data, so your letters could really make a difference in whether they choose to show up for November’s election.
As with all your Vote Forward letters, we ask that you follow our best practices for crafting a compelling and authentic personal story about why voting matters to you. You can review our guidance here, and read on below for a few Pennsylvania-specific FAQs.
Why this race matters:
On November 4th, 2025, Pennsylvania voters will vote on whether to retain three Democratic judges to another 10-year term on the State Supreme Court. The outcome could shift the court’s balance of power in one of the country’s most important swing states.
The Pennsylvania state supreme court is expected to rule on future cases involving election certification, voting rights, partisan gerrymandering, and abortion access that will have national resonance.
The race is drawing intense national interest and funding, similar to the recent high-stakes judicial election in Wisconsin. Major political figures and donors, including those aligned with both parties, are expected to invest heavily, potentially making this one of the most expensive judicial races in U.S. history.
However, odd-year elections like this typically see very low turnout. Many voters, even those who do show up to vote in major cycles, are starting out with little awareness or investment in this critical election. This means collectively, we have a big opportunity for impact.
FAQs
How are the PA Supreme Court letter campaigns different from past campaigns?
As a letter writer, your instructions are the same as they have been for Vote Forward’s recent letter writing campaigns. Please review those instructions here. Unlike past letter templates, these Pennsylvania letters include a phone number, but that does not affect how you write or send your letters.
IMPORTANT NOTE: We now have a PA-based return address available for these campaigns, so you can use this address when filling out the envelope instead of our standard guidance. Please format the return address like this:
Your first name & last initial (Ex. Mandy P.)
Vote Forward
5131 W. Girard PMB#1
Philadelphia, PA 19131
You will see this return address printed on the cover sheet of your letter bundles.
Do I need to change my message to voters?
No, we still believe that positive, heartfelt, and non-partisan messages will work best. For more guidance, check out our blog post on how to craft a personal and heartfelt story about how voting impacts you or someone in your life. The goal is to build a story that is specific, authentic, and compelling. Voters receive lots of messages about why they should vote, but your personal story can show them how voting affects real people's lives.
What is the “voter support team” mentioned in the letter? Can I join?
The Voter Support Team is a team of 20 - 25 volunteers who will be specially trained to receive calls from voters who receive our letters. Voter Support Team members will provide non-partisan voting information and share their perspective on why voting matters.
You can apply at this link to join the call team, please note the application closes Sunday, June 29th.
When should I send my letters during the mailing window?
We recommend sending your letters whenever you feel ready to send, between September 2 and October 28. These campaigns have a long mailing window because many voters will receive absentee ballots weeks in advance of Election Day. Voters may also need more time to find out information about this election (including by contacting our Voter Support Team), since they are often less aware of odd-year elections like this one. You can send your letters at any time during this window - you do not have to hold them until the end.
Can I write about Donald Trump, or other national figures that are involved with this race?
We ask that you keep your personal message centered on your authentic story, and topics that will resonate with voters in Pennsylvania. While for some voters, mentioning national figures such as Trump, or Musk may be motivating, for others they may be a turn-off. Remember, these voters will likely receive many political messages and advertisements around this election, and Vote Forward’s letters stand out because they are authentic letters that come from real people (like you!), and don’t sound like standard “political mail”. Our research has shown that these kinds of personal story messages are extra effective at increasing voter turnout.
How can I include more information about the election in my letters to voters?
We recommend including this nonpartisan voter guide if letter writers want to include additional information about the election itself for the letter recipients.
Will there be stamp or letter kits available?
Stamp and letter kits will be available to request between June 9th and October 13th, subject to availability, for our Social campaign only. If you don’t have a printer and/or need assistance with letter supplies, you can learn more about our kits program through our support page.