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Hi there:
 
When new volunteers sign up to write letters with Vote Forward, there’s one question we get more often than any other:
 
“What should I write?”

[Left to Right: Vote Forward Data and Research Analyst Phong Le, Analyst Institute Executive Director Christina Coloroso, Vote Forward Executive Director Yasmin Radjy, Vote Forward Senior Director for Mobilization and Partnerships Nia Bentall]([link removed])

Vote Forward volunteers writing letters at our New York City event last year.

 
The truth is there is no one right answer, because everyone’s experiences are different. But in 2021, we tested the efficacy of different messages and found personal stories to be the most effective. These are stories rooted in the substance of your unique life experience, with concrete details and emotional descriptions.
 
The goal is to show how voting affects us and the people we care about in concrete ways, making abstract concepts like “democracy” or “elections” feel real and impactful. Voters get a lot of calls and canvass visits, and they see a lot of ads about why they should vote and who they should vote for—but reading a handwritten personal story can show them how voting affects real people’s lives.
 
Additionally, GOTV research has shown that nonpartisan messages are more effective than partisan ones. It’s important to keep in mind that you might be writing to voters who have a different lived experience from you. They likely live in a different community, and they might have different priorities when it comes to issues they care about.
 
It’s also important to note that nonpartisan in this context means not mentioning specific parties or candidates by name. Your message should focus on an issue you care about, in the context of your personal story.
 
Finally, keep it relatively brief. The goal is to insert your short story—your personal reason for voting—into the body of a pre-written letter. It should be 1 to 3 sentences that are specific, authentic, and compelling.
 
If you’re ready to put this knowledge to work, we’re already working on a letter-writing campaign for this fall’s Pennsylvania Supreme Court election. [Will you sign up to adopt letters in this campaign today?]([link removed])

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As always, we’ll help guide you through every step. All you have to do is download pre-written letters, personalize your short message using the guidance we’ve just shared, and then store them somewhere safe until our mail window of September 2nd through October 28th.
 
If you need more help getting started, you can [check out our personal story telling guide here.]([link removed])
 
So if you’re ready to make an impact, please [join our letter-writing campaign today]([link removed]) and help us turn out voters in this important race!
 
Thank you for everything you do,
 
The Vote Forward Team
 

 

Our small team works tirelessly to develop impactful campaigns, analyze data, and improve our volunteer experience. [Please consider making a contribution to support this work!]([link removed])

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