Summer Work Leads to Fall Turnout

Thursday night's presidential address was a reminder that, as we head toward the midterm elections, we're once again likely to hear sweeping claims about voter fraud and election integrity.

Election security matters. Every eligible voter should have confidence that elections are secure and that every legal vote is counted. But repeated studies, audits, court decisions, and investigations have found that actual voter fraud in the United States is exceedingly rare and nowhere near the scale that could change election outcomes. Research cited by the Brennan Center found possible voter fraud rates ranging from just 0.0003% to 0.0025% of ballots cast. The Brennan Center also notes that you're more likely to be struck by lightning than encounter voter impersonation at the polls.

So how do we respond?

We don't get into fights on social media. We don't get discouraged. And we don't sit on the sidelines.

We organize.

We talk to voters.

And we help turn out so many voters that the results clearly reflect the will of the people.

That work starts now.

One of the most effective things you can do this summer is join our Write & Hold postcard programs through our own Postcards For Democracy postcarding portal. Write your postcards now while there's time, set them safely away, and mail them in September and October, just before early voting begins. We've already launched four outstanding candidates (details below), with many more coming soon.

Why focus on these races? Because state legislative, county, school board, and other down-ballot elections are often decided by remarkably small margins, sometimes just a few hundred votes. (Here in NYC, we just had two NYS Assembly primaries decided by 7 votes and 15 votes respectively!) A relatively small number of postcards can make a meaningful difference. These races also build the bench of future governors, attorneys general, members of Congress, and national leaders.

Just as importantly, when we increase turnout for a competitive down-ballot race, those voters also cast ballots in the races at the top of the ticket. The reverse isn't always true. Strong grassroots organizing for local and state races helps strengthen the entire Democratic ticket.

If you haven't created a Postcards For Democracy account yet, now is the perfect time. Sign up here. New to postcarding? Join one of our monthly Postcards For Democracy Boot Camps and you'll be ready to get started in under an hour. Details are below.

Already have an account? Claim your addresses here and start writing today.

The work we do this summer becomes the turnout we see this fall. Every postcard is one more conversation, one more voter encouraged to participate, and one more step toward elections that reflect the voices of the people.

Let's get writing!