Our Postcards Matter

This week, we got another reminder that handwritten postcards matter. Last Saturday, we learned that the three candidates we wrote 2,596 postcards for in the Grapevine-Colleyville, Texas school board races all won. Together, they ousted three incumbents, two who were backed by Patriot Mobile, creating sweeping change for the district. The results mean that the far-right faction no longer holds a majority on the GCISD Board of Trustees.

And here’s the most important part: Each race was decided by only a few hundred votes.

A few hundred votes.

That’s exactly why down-ballot races matter so much. These are the races where grassroots volunteers really can move the needle. Where a reminder to vote can genuinely make the difference. Where one handwritten postcard can help someone remember to show up. And people did show up carrying our postcards into the polls.

Here’s what the candidates told us afterward:

“All three of us won last night!!! Thank you and your volunteers so much for your help! We saw several people carrying postcards into the polls.” Lindsey

“The postcards were amazing. So many people showed up to vote with them. I can’t begin to tell you how grateful we are for the support from all over.” Matthew

“The margins of victory were so small that we needed every vote and every reminder to vote.” Darrell

If you’ve ever wondered whether postcarding works, this is your answer. Not because postcards magically change minds. But because they help turnout. They remind people that elections are happening. They make voters feel personally connected and invested enough to take action. And in races decided by a few hundred votes, that matters enormously.

It’s also why at Postcards For Democracy we think carefully about the campaigns we choose. We focus on down-ballot races where volunteers can have real impact, races that affect people’s daily lives directly, from school boards to state legislatures, while also helping build the strength and turnout infrastructure that benefits up-ballot races too.

We’re seeing that play out right now in Texas. We are currently writing postcards for Julio Salinas in his runoff for State House. Earlier this year, we wrote postcards to help Julio get into the runoff, and he advanced by only about 200 votes. On our Zoom friend-raiser for Julio the other night, he actually held up one of our handwritten postcards on screen and talked about how meaningful and helpful they were to his campaign. That’s the kind of impact this community can have.

And this is only the beginning.

It’s the middle of May before a major midterm election year. Postcarding is about to gear up in a big way, with critical races across the country where small margins can determine enormous outcomes.

If you already postcard, thank you. Keep going.

If you’ve been meaning to start, now is the perfect time.

If you’re a little rusty, this is your sign to jump back in.

Postcarding is one of the easiest ways to take meaningful action from wherever you are. You can do it at your kitchen table. You can do it while watching TV. You can join us and postcard in community on one of our Zooms. And together, postcard by postcard, we really can help shape important races.

Now is the time to get your supplies ready and get involved. Click HERE for addresses/scripts info., bootcamp registration (next one on Wednesday), postcard supply resources, postcard FAQ, and other helpful resources.

The victories in Grapevine-Colleyville weren’t inevitable. They happened because people took the time to do something simple, personal, and human.

One postcard at a time.