Voting History Letter Writing Campaign
Vote Forward is releasing a letter writing campaign to encourage voting among voters who have turned out in past presidential elections but don't vote consistently. We’re writing to voters who have been historically underrepresented in the electorate, in states where turnout gaps are significant and, in several cases, voting laws add extra hurdles. We’re writing to voters in Alaska, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Texas.
Vote Forward pioneered the discovery that handwritten letters can significantly boost voter turnout—and then massively scaled use of the tactic while continuing to test and refine it. Our Voting History Letters are an evolution of that work and our commitment to following the evidence. In 2025, we piloted adding a voting history message to a letter as part of our California Prop 50 campaign. That campaign produced directionally promising evidence that voting history letters, accompanied by a hand-written message from volunteers, are more effective than a standard letter. Importantly, the evidence did not show any backlash from voters who received the reminder of their voting history. The 2025 pilot itself was small, so we're testing the approach at scale now.
Like most of what we do, this campaign is structured as a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). After the election, Vote Forward will analyze turnout data and transparently share what we learn.
Thank you for writing—we couldn’t do this without you.
FAQ
What should I write?
This is the most common question we get at Vote Forward—and we’re here to help! Our guidance centers on our shared mission of increasing voter turnout. We draw from behavioral science research, our own experimentation on messaging, and feedback from letter recipients to help volunteers craft compelling stories.
Generally, messages that are positive, heartfelt and personal, and nonpartisan work best.
Why positive? We say positive not to dismiss real challenges in our world, but rather to focus on voting as a positive, meaningful experience. Messages that generate excitement about voting help motivate letter recipients to cast a ballot.
Why heartfelt and personal? In 2021, our team conducted an experiment as part of our Vote Forward Labs initiative in which we learned that letters with “personal story” messages, written by trained volunteers, may be especially motivating for voters. Writing a short story (1-3 sentences) about a personal experience—either from you or someone you know—shows how voting affects real people's lives and can be especially motivating.
Why nonpartisan? Get-out-the-vote (GOTV) research has shown that nonpartisan messaging is more effective than partisan messaging for boosting voter turnout.
That said, we ask that volunteers do not:
Mention candidates by name
Mention political parties
Frame their overall message in a partisan or one-sided fashion
Assume that the recipient agrees on specific issues or policies
It’s fine to mention issues that matter to you, especially within the context of a personal story, just be careful not to assume the recipient agrees with your specific policy preferences (e.g. stay away from mentioning the bill you think Congress should pass).
For more support on crafting an impactful personal story for your letters, please see our volunteer training exercise.
When do I send my letter?
Adopt and write your letters now, and store them somewhere safe. The mail window opens October 1, 2026, and ends October 24, 2026.
Where do you get the voting history data?
We use data from the voter file, which is available from government offices like secretaries of state. Voting history—if you vote—is public record, but who you vote for is private.
Will these letters make voters who receive them feel uncomfortable?
The evidence from our 2025 pilot did not show any backlash or negative response to the voting history reminders. Our targeted voters typically do show up to presidential year elections, but only rarely turn out for midterm or irregular elections. We think that encouragement from a fellow voter can help them remember that their voice matters all of the time, not just every four years.
