Postcarding for Change: It Works!
2020: Partnering with NC NAACP to promote vote-by-mail awareness & access.
Grandmothers for a Brighter Future is a grassroots organization dedicated to using the humble postcard and the power of the pen to get-out-the-vote in critical elections. Lincoln Grannies & Friends, a local chapter of the org., has been hard at work throughout the pandemic and before to promote progressive candidates and amplify the importance of every voter’s voice.
Since 2008, every election year, whether Presidential or Congressional (and sometimes state elections) the Grandmothers for a Brighter Future have written postcards to voters in selected swing states. A National Steering Committee (of which Joan Kimball from Lincoln is a member) strategically selects candidates to promote and then prepares postcards for volunteers to send out to voters.
The Grandmothers’ criteria includes a candidate’s likelihood of winning—where our cards will make a difference—leadership qualities of the senators in question, and the importance of removing incumbent Republicans whose values differ from ours. Sometimes the races are very close, and voter education and turnout is critical to success.
In 2018, the Lincoln Grannies & Friends sent out 5000 cards to Arizona for Krystin Semina, to Nevada for Jacky Rosen, and to Missouri for Claire McCaskell. Our candidates in Arizona and Nevada won. Unfortunately, Claire McCaskell lost to Josh Hawley in Missouri.
Lincoln Grannies & Friends working together in 2018
In 2019, the Lincoln Grannies and Friends sent out 1000 postcards to Kentucky and helped elect Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat in this red state, who won by only 5000 votes.
2020: Lincoln cards ready to be mailed in bulk.
In 2020, over 50 people connected with Lincoln Grannies & Friends—women and men of all ages—wrote almost 10,000 postcards to Kentucky, Maine, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. We knew that Kentucky and South Carolina were far from certain, but we felt strongly that we wanted to help both McGrath and Jaime Harrison and defeat, if possible, Mitch McConnell and Lindsay Graham. We were disappointed in some of the results, but thrilled that both Senate races that we supported—Warnock and Ossoff—in Georgia were successful.
2020: packages of completed postcards awaiting shipment
In 2020, we were concerned that quarantining would decrease our numbers. With contactless pick up and isolated writing we almost doubled our 2018 output. Thanks to all who participated. We will be writing again in 2022!
The network of Grandmothers for a Brighter Future has groups in 41 states who sent 280,000 cards in 2020 to target states. The network sent 53,164 cards to Georgia. The network also is all volunteer with headquarters in Lexington. Our Lincoln group consists of almost 60 volunteers, mostly from Lincoln, and some from Concord and Lexington and other nearby towns.
It continues to be important to each of us to be involved and to work to ensure that our values are reflected in the people we elect. And so we write.
Everyone is invited to write postcards with us.
Keep checking the Lincoln Dems Calendar to learn about upcoming postcarding opportunities.
Regardless of age, gender or zip code, all are welcome. Lincoln Grannies & Friends—a local chapter of Grandmothers for a Brighter Future—works in groups and individually. The postcards we send are preprinted, and volunteers add short handwritten messages and addresses to each card. We are an all-volunteer group, and volunteers share the cost for stamps and printing.
