History of impact

Track record of impact

Vote Forward began in 2017 with a randomized controlled trial (RCT), which demonstrated that personal, handwritten letters can effectively encourage fellow citizens to turn out to vote.

After more than half a decade of encouraging voter turnout through handwritten letters, we couldn’t be more proud of the Vote Forward community’s collective efforts.

The Vote Forward difference

Test repeatedly and rigorously

As we work to increase participation in the electoral process and strengthen our democracy, impact will remain our north star. We’re committed to upholding our tried and tested experimental design process, thorough evaluation and analysis procedures, and transparent research results.

Impact at scale

Our team is encouraged by the positive results we saw in many of our most recent experiments—and we’re excited to integrate these learnings into high-impact letter writing campaigns to come! This includes the positive effects of:

• voter registration letters on registration rates
• letters to boost both turnout and candidate performance
• including voting-themed items inside an envelope with a letter
• issue-focused messaging
• including nonpartisan candidate guides in letter templates

Constantly evolve tactics

One of our biggest takeaways from our most recent findings is that we need to double down on making Vote Forward’s campaigns even more innovative and more tailored, so each letter is thoughtfully designed to connect with the recipient voter.