Maze Dancer emailed to say that PostCardPatriots has moved onto texting voters, since it’s too late to send more postcards. Here’s what else she said:
Pat yourselves on the back, Balloon-Juice. If your wrist isn’t too sore.
We sent out 12,000 PostCards over 27 days.
Have to say, I have been in Advertising for decades. Have helped launch businesses and new products global, national, and local.
Never seen anything like those skyrocket-in-flight results. (Little DougJ homage using a lyrical reference.)
Democrats are sizzling hot, determined, will not be stopped.
If for some unknown reason – cheating, lying, voter interference to name three – we do not prevail, it won’t be from not trying.
And now – texting!
What’s better for people who like to write PostCards than texting to voters? (Well, possibly, phone banking because only 1 in 20 people ever answer their phone.)
PostCardPatriots.com has been retooled with links to text for Beto, Claire, Florida Dems, and across the nation. We’re declaring every Dem a BJ Candidate now.
We also have some phone banking links.
You do not have to use your own phone number. And it’s all really easy.
And after the election, we have some ideas about how to keep the Power of PostCards going.
But for now, well done, Balloon-Juicers, well done!
germy
Something seems to be brewing in the puke funnel:
Gretchen
@germy: Natasha Bertrand confirms.
I sent 80 postcards for Heidi Heitkamp. I just got a list of 20 for Delgado in NY which have to be out by tomorrow. Problem is, my last 20 cards have a black dog on them, which probably isn’t a good choice for a candidate they’re using racism to damage – the whole rapper thing. So I need to find 20 postcards somewhere today.
Barbara
I am still writing Delgado postcards, have 20 more to finish tonight. Sadly, can’t do more for Heitkamp.
MazeDancer
@Gretchen:
Email me at the site. I’ll send you back some PDFs you can print if you have Card Stock.
Mai Naem mobile
I just saw a blurb on Twitter that James Okeefe infiltrated the Sinema campaign. Ugh. I refuse to click on the link. It’s just that the race is so damn close. I can’t deal with this shit . I just want to hide under the covers till 2020.
ruemara
yay for my extra tiny part. I guess I will text then. In the interests of encouraging you to grab an 18 – 35 year old and tell them to go vote, I present this lineup of douches explaining why they probably won’t vote. Including one who complains that she doesn’t have a stamp and another who wishes it was easier like using snapchat and I think I want to murder everyone of them.
Mary G
@Mai Naem mobile: This Infrastructure Week is going to last approximately a century.
Kay
This is interesting:
All those thousands of stories about Trump voters in Youngstown, down the tubes. Oddly, people seemed to want to hear about health care and taxes, rather than listening to a list of groups of people they should hate. They’re ahead on issues, Democrats.
schrodingers_cat
@Kay: Hence this latest ploy of the Orange One, to excite his base, about birthright citizenship. Yes they have telegraphed their intentions and we should be wary. But right now let’s focus on next Tuesday and not fall for the bully’s latest tantrum.
MoxieM
Too late now, but for next time. I ran out of postcards, and had a light bulb moment. Went to a crafts store (not Hobby blech, of course), bought some heavy stock paper, some snazzy stick on ribbon (blue and red, for the white paper), and decided I could make my own. Now if only a paper cutter. Well, I am ready to go for 2020. The pre-stamped ones from the PO are surely easier though.
Kay
@schrodingers_cat:
Agreed. I’m trying. I’m really heartened by the fact that you CAN, apparently, reach people on things like “preexisting conditions”, that it doesn’t have to be 100% hate and lies every election from now on.
I know everyone hated the Michelle Obama “we go high” slogan but if this pans out it worked- they went high.
MoxieM
@Gretchen: see my wee post above, if you have time. And I’m not a crafty bitch, by any means.
L85NJGT
They’ve thrown in the towel in the House.
Trump is spending the next week doing rallies for those red state Senate seats. Trying to drive deplorable turnout at this point, for safe seats, doesn’t scan well. Also not a good sign when the Senate majority leader refuses to be seen with him.
Another Scott
Gotta finish my Elaine Luria cards tonight. Since the district isn’t too far I’m hoping they’ll still get there in time.
Thanks for all you’re doing, and for pushing us to get to writing, MazeDancer.
I have a question though. Lots of people, I suspect, are very protective of their cell phones. Is there any data that says that texts from J Random Stranger is a good idea? Is there a risk of a backlash? Would we only be texting people on “our side”?
Thanks again.
Cheers,
Scott.
JPL
A local Atlanta news station interviewed folks who were receiving texts, and they were not happy.
@Gretchen: Jane Mayer commented on Natasha’s feed, and she thinks it’s a hoax. I just need one day where there is not breaking news.
JPL
@Another Scott: Right below your comment, I mentioned local folks who received texts who were upset.
Yutsano
@Another Scott: @JPL: FWIW I got one of these and immediately deleted it.I REALLY don’t think that’s anywhere near as effective as the postcards, which are much more personal and less intrusive.
Bard the Grim
My wife designed and printed 700 postcards (she’s a graphic designer), bought another 400 blanks from the Post Office, got our family to write a few hundred of them and farmed out the rest to friends and the local Indivisible group she founded. I’m very proud of her (and only cringed slightly at the postage costs–I’m still living in the ’80s with 12-cent postcards), and she got a nice email thank-you from someone on Elisabeth Warren’s campaign staff. I’m working on my brother-in-law in Michigan–a lifelong Repub who didn’t vote for Trump but couldn’t bring himself to vote for Hillary. If you can get people like that to switch once, I like to think it’ll stick.
Kay
Texting is smart. Less obnoxious than phone calls and you’ll reach more people.
JPL
@Bard the Grim: Amazing job!
Kay
@JPL:
They hate phone calls, too, but the thing is- it works. Nagging works. Especially for our voters who are just infuriatingly… coy or something.
We use texts in the local public school to “remind” parents that their kids have to go. They complain but they are also the people who are allowing their kid to miss 15 days of school every quarter.
Barbara
@Kay: The one thing about texts is that not everyone has unlimited texting so they can impose costs on the people receiving them. Otherwise, texts are less intrusive, you just delete them. It takes less than five seconds.
L85NJGT
Trump’s schedule:
Oct. 31: Florida
Nov. 1: Missouri
Nov. 2: West Virginia, Indiana
Nov. 3: Montana, Florida
Nov. 4: Georgia, Tennessee
Nov. 5: Ohio, Indiana, Missouri
This looks like they don’t have a clear path to 50 and are throwing shit at the wall, combined with down ballot concerns.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
So I’m hanging out with Brian Karem right now, and he’s telling me that Whitey Bulger just got murdered in prison. His phone is blowing up.
Dog Mom
I canvassed last night – one of the Dem voters mentioned using the Vote411.org site to determine who else was getting her vote so she was prepared to go to the poll. The site is sponsored by the League of Women Voters and will let you compare candidates on issues with information provided by the campaigns, make selections and provide a personalized ballot. I went through the website to see what my ballot looked like and for some of my candidates it said ‘Candidate has not yet responded.’ – I contacted some of the campaigns. I would like to be able to recommend this to people.
I did a quick search of some of the other voter guides to see what other info was out there.
I would suggest looking at your candidates and alerting the campaign – hopefully still time to update if necessary.
Manyakitty
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Whoa.
WhatsMyNym
@Kay: Spam texts are increasing. Texts are intrusive, you have to check to see who they are from and if they are important or not.
PLEASE don’t text our potential voters.
ETA – if it was one text only from one state organization to remind them to vote I could see it. I’ve gotten a few from out of state candidates which just pissed me off.
Doug!
@Dog Mom:
Thanks a lot for canvassing!
Kay
@Barbara:
If I sound impatient with complainers, I am. When we didn’t send the attendance texts in school they all complained that the school never contacted them until small problems were big problems. You can’t win with these people. They want hand-crafted attention.
dmsilev
@L85NJGT: Kind of weird not to see Arizona on that list. Or North Dakota.
Citizen Alan
@ruemara:
If wishes could come true, every single person on that list will one day end up homeless and starving.
L85NJGT
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
He just got moved to Hazelton WV.
Kraux Pas
I just signed up for the first time. I had considered it earlier but even the meagre cost of postcards proved a barrier (I had about a dollar to my name before last payday). Volunteering to send text messages was a great opportunity for me to help.
I signed up specifically to help with the Claire McCaskill campaign, I feel like that was the best opportunity to do some good. Just waiting on my orientation materials now.
Kay
@WhatsMyNym:
Well, don’t complain about turn out then, because there aren’t enough volunteers to make personal visits to each individual voter, which they will also find intrusive and annoying anyway. There’s no way to do GOTV without inconveniencing someone.
Jeffro
@L85NJGT: Wow they really don’t want to give up Florida and Missouri, do they? I bet those internal poll numbers look terrible for the Trumpublicans – GOOD!
In other happy news, it looks like (for the moment/knock on wood) even Fox News might be giving up on the blessed caravan boogeyman…it has slipped to #4 at F N dot com (and even then, the story notes that the caravan is shrinking). Maybe even wingnuts can tell that those folks have a long, looong way to go before they get to the border.
Lotta rumor-mongering starting up on Twitter about Stone paying a woman to launch false sexual assault allegations against Mueller (seriously!). I’m guessing that means Stone’s getting his turn in the barrel next Wed or Thurs at the latest.
Ceci7
I’m surprised by the DON’T TEXT posts. It’s 2018. Every grassroots and national activist org I know is using texting as part of its GOTV effort. I think they know what they’re doing,
Doug R
@Another Scott:
You gotta think how receiving random texts feels when we get them. I hate the scam texts but a brief tasteful reminder might work, at least it’ll get read before deletion.
Kraux Pas
@Jeffro:
Many have already applied for asylum in Mexico, this despite the fact that Foxbots were certain, CERTAIN!, that the whole caravan was preparing to bum rush the US Border and make no attempt to go through the legal process.
JPL
@germy: @Gretchen:
Special counsel’s office spokesperson Peter Carr: “When we learned last week of allegations that women were offered money to make false claims about the Special Counsel, we immediately referred the matter to the FBI for investigation.” (confirming his comment, reported elsewhere)
pacem appellant
I’m getting a lot of texts this cycle. They are far less intrusive than the phone calls (I do not answer the phone if the number isn’t in my contacts). Most have ended with: text back if you want to know more. I like that. I find the conversation with these texters is better than an info dump over the phone. And I can come back to the text later. Postcards and mailers are less effective on me (they wind up the elections pile), but YMMV.
JPL
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: He was just transferred,
tobie
@ruemara: That article on young non-voters was depressing as hell! First there’s the selfishness–I won’t vote unless the candidates are doing something specifically for me. WTF–I support candidates who speak to all sorts of issues that have nothing to do my immediate family’s well-being. I do it out of a sense that I am a member of a larger community, a body politic, and the well-being of the community contributes to my own quality of life. Then there’s the pervasive hate for the Democratic party, based on memes mainstreamed by Bernie and helpfully disseminated by Russian bots. I really would like to know what they understand about progressivism. Do they realize that Nancy Pelosi has shepherded more landmark progressive legislation through the House than any other House caucus leader in 30 or 40 years? The combination of ignorance and selfishness among these 20-somethings makes me weep for the country.
Kraux Pas
@Ceci7:
I have loved getting text messages from campaigns. I can answer them at my own pace. Or simply make a mental note of them. They have prompted me to look into a primary race I hadn’t considered and informed me of a state rep candidate I didn’t know about (she wasn’t on the primary ballot). I voted for the former and have been in contact with the latter’s campaign to do my own outreach.
I was also astounded when I figured out that the texts weren’t being controlled by bots.
MazeDancer
@Another Scott:
Doubt if there is any data. But in the whirlwind and onslaught of election ad blitz, texts are probably the quietest intrusion.
Think the irritation is preferable to the people not voting.
And pretty sure the numbers are Dems.
@pacem appellant:
This is reality. No one answers their phones.
Joe Falco
I’ve been getting texts as well, but it’s for candidates that are running in different districts. I’ll correct them and say I don’t live in that area. I’ve stopped receiving them after I told one I have already voted. The texts are only as annoying as a parental unit asking a child if they’ve taken the trash out yet. A bit annoying but necessary all the same.
Elizabelle
@ruemara: I saw that. What a bunch of entitled asshats. Immature, for sure.
I am hoping it was difficult for NY Mag to assemble that collection of douches. I have not run into them in real life.
There was something kinda … consistent, about the intending non-voters in the photos. What is it, what is it?
MazeDancer
@Kay:
Exactly.
Also, irritating and inconvenient: No healthcare, no Social Security, no Medicare, no Medicaid, and two more years of unchecked Trump destroying Democracy, Decency, Honor, and the Planet.
A short, respectful text every two years should not be upsetting.
Ruckus
@Kay:
The return on phone calls is very low single digits, I’d bet texts aren’t much better. But we are down to the wire and every little thing helps.
The only thing is, does it hurt?
Cheryl from Maryland
For next election, if you are like me and have a spouse who refuses to let you print your own because of the cost of printer ink, there’s a great shop at Etsy. Nice designs; fast service. I used 100 of her postcards to help Jennifer Lewis, D, VA-06. https://www.etsy.com/shop/EveryVoteEveryVoter?ref=l2-shopheader-name
tobie
@Elizabelle:
Good point, Elizabelle! Those 12 non-voters have the privilege of not voting. There’s nothing existential at stake for them. Like you, I hope they’re outliers.
Kraux Pas
@Elizabelle:
My boyfriend is in that age group and hasn’t voted the last couple elections but is determined to this year, this despite a general disinterest in politics. He knows what’s at stake.
If it helps you determine the consistency between those depicted non-voters; despite being about the same age as these non-voters, my boyfriend has a somewhat different…visage.
ETA: I can somewhat empathize with the non-voter who simply missed the registration deadline. This never happened to me, but if you’re not as fully engaged as some other voters, things like that may slip your mind. This is why we should push for reforms of the voting process that make it easier to vote like same-day or automatic voter registration.
Martin
@germy: 1 week before the election. Right on schedule.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Kay: Some phone plans still charge for incoming texts, texting is a bad idea.
MazeDancer
@Bard the Grim:
Big, big, big props to your wife and entire family.
Platonailedit
@WhatsMyNym:
Jeez, whine about campaign emails, whine about phone calls, whine about texts. No wonder the rethugs are in control at every level.
Joe Falco
@ruemara:
I stopped reading after the first one was attempting (and failing) rational thought about preferring an “informed nonvoter” compared to “uninformed voter”. There is only one thing important there and that’s whether you voted or not. THERE IS NO PROPER WAY TO BE AN “INFORMED NONVOTER”!
These people are crazy and need to be educated, shunned, mocked, whatever works! until they wise up.
Johnnybuck
i got a postcard from “Jen” on Friday. rest assured Jen, the wife and I both early voted! I put in the neighbors box.
Spanky
@JPL:
Not just transferred. Transferred to West Virginia!!11!
That’s like death right there.
NotMax
Unsolicited phone call are bad enough. Unsolicited texts? Ugh. Don’t own a cell phone (nor ever plan to so knowledge is sketchy at best). BUT – aren’t there people using budget carriers whose services charge for each incoming text and/or charge above a set limit?
Kraux Pas
@Joe Falco:
Most people I hear use that phrase are right-leaning libertarians who believe not voting is the only appropriate way to register lack of support for the current government. Apparently no one told them that the government won’t be dissolved if voter participation falls below 50%. The ones I hear express any measure of support for any politician, however, typically support Republicans. Let ’em go.
Kraux Pas
@Spanky:
I mean if you’re in prison, does it matter? You’re in a hole getting treated like shit no matter where you are.
MazeDancer
@Johnnybuck:
Love that!
In general, something hand-crafted and hand-written does not get thrown away so swiftly,
There is some research that hand-written PostCards can generate a 4% return. (High estimate, but let’s go for it). So 12,167 x .04 = 486 more votes. Maybe that’s delusional, but it’s certainly possible.
And we did it together.
People like writing PostCards.
It was everything I had ever hoped it would be. Giving people who can’t canvas, for whatever reason, a way to meaningfully contribute to changing the world. And making it easy and quick for them to choose a candidate, if they wanted to, and get addresses for that person.
I wanted people to be able to choose their candidate. Though, easily 1/4 to a 1/3 of the people just opted for where it was needed most. Interestingly, after about 2 days, when I changed the number on the site to “Send 25 of whoever needs it most” from 20, people asked for 25. There’s a lesson learned.
Felt like I was connected to everyone. It was almost spiritual. Every day, all day, interacting with Dems who want to save the world. Left me awash in hope.
Felt like BJ goes Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland – Let’s build it, let’s make it happen, let’s put on a show. We don’t always get to work on a project together. We built it, people, we made it happen.
People will work hard if you give them an easy and meaningful buy in. Hoping that the energy, now awakened, can continue. Once we get past Tuesday, later this month, will be posting ideas on the site how the Power of the PostCard can be harnessed in other ways.
Worry not, after Tuesday, I will no longer be spamming the threads.
My thanks to everyone always.
Spanky
@Kraux Pas: Happily, I have no personal experience in incarceration from which to draw. I thought maybe WVA prison guards might be a step down from MA (or wherever he was) prison guards, but … prison guards.
Steve in the ATL
Have gotten lots of texts this cycle and (anecdata) I like it. Shows me that the candidates are making an effort to reach individual voters, not just running tv ads. I even respond, sometimes with questions that they answer, or I answer their questions (such as why I’m voting no on amendment 2, which their office didn’t fully understand).
As others have noted, I can ignore or respond to texts at my convenience, unlike phone calls which must be answered immediately or not at all.
NotMax, when you state that you don’t have a cell phone, your forfeit your right to complain about texts. In the same vein, people without vaginas shouldn’t have any say over how women use them.
There may be a handful of people left in this country whose plans charge by the text, but anyone living that far in the past is probably not on our side.
Spanky
@Spanky: Oops! CNN reporting Whitey Bulger killed in prison.
ETA:
Dude was 89, so his time was just about up anyhoo.
schrodingers_cat
I don’t mind texts, they are far less annoying and intrusive than calls from unknown numbers.
Steve in the ATL
@Spanky: killer, moved to West Virginia, tomato, tomahto
Kay
@NotMax:
And the canvassing! Awful. This may not be true for you but our voters are “sporadic”, which means they’re a giant pain in the ass and they have to be cajoled into voting. In 2012 we canvassed election day and people were still saying they were “planning” to vote at 6:30. Could we stop back later, perhaps? They’re planning. This is how they are.
NotMax
@Steve in the ATL
Bullpuckey. It wasn’t a complaint, it was a query. The “ugh” was an extension of reaction to dealing with unsolicited phone calls. I don’t own a camera and can opine about photographs. I don’t have a pilot’s license yet can express positively or negatively about air travel.
Low income people probably would be most likely to make use of the budget services and can least afford any charges for unsolicited communication.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Steve in the ATL: I have a cell phone, I’ve had a cell phone for decades; until about 3 years ago, I did not have unlimited texting. If it went over 10 texts(outgoing or incoming), I had to pay. Can I comment on this?
@NotMax: Agreed, you don’t know who you may end up costing funds. Texting is a really BAD idea.
NotMax
@Kay
Well, having never once been canvassed in all the many years have been eligible to vote, according to some here I therefore have no standing to comment one way or another.
Steve in the ATL
@NotMax: Those aren’t the same and you know it. I fly a lot and have many opinions on air travel, but I’m always a passenger and therefore I have no opinions on being a pilot.
@?BillinGlendaleCA: but now is not three years ago, and even then the cost per text was pennies, which wasn’t a problem unless you had tween or teen kids sending thousands of texts a day.
Gretchen
@MazeDancer: I don’t have a working printer. I bought some blank cards at the post office and some glitter pens, so we’re at the mercy of my artistic abilities. Thanks for connecting us to this site! They’ve been very responsive.
rekoob
@Elizabelle: @MazeDancer: Thank you both for pointing me in the right direction. I sent postcards to ND and NY-19 and am hoping for the best. Now I’ll lay in a few more for the 2019 races in Virginia and 2020 and beyond!
Gretchen
@MazeDancer: are you involved in running the site? Well done! They’re very efficient. I first contacted postcards for voters, and they never got back to me. Then I saw your link here. Every time I contacted them they got back to me immediately, and every time I finished one list they were ready with another. I’ll get on my last list now for Delgado. Thanks for your work and letting us know how to help!
MazeDancer
@Gretchen:
Yes, the site was started to support BJ Candidates. It was only me involved. But all the Writers made the Magic.
Gretchen
@MazeDancer: It was all you? Wow! I’m incredibly impressed. It is a beautifully-run effort, and did so much good. I really enjoyed being involved and you made it so easy! Thank you for your efforts. It’s a beautiful idea, flawlessly run. So impressed. I just sent pictures of my last postcards, markers and glitter-pens. I would have liked to do better, but there wasn’t much time. I just saw a meme of Glinda the Good Witch, saying « you had the power all along, my dear. Vote! ». I wish I’d had a bunch of those postcards, especially since I am in Kansas. Thank you for you idea and beautiful execution.
MazeDancer
@Gretchen:
Those were the goals.
Check back later in November for more ways to keep up the Power of PostCards.
(And Good Witch is Good.)