Postcarding with STA

Getting Started

Postcarding is easy to do and can be done any time whenever you have a few free moments. You can do it by yourself or invite others to join you at a Postcard Writing Party! You will need postcards, markers, and postcard stamps. Once you are set up with your supplies, you’ll be ready to get voter addresses and instructions for writing a specified script.

Supplies

1. POSTCARDS

We buy and keep on hand two types of postcards. REGISTER postcards to encourage likely Democrats to register and then to vote in an upcoming election, and VOTE postcards to give registered Democrats information about candidates and when and where to vote. These cards help Get Out The Vote (GOTV).

REGISTER Postcards can be found only on the website of our partners at Field Team 6. The QR code printed on the cards allows a potential voter to easily reach a Voter Registration site. We love the whimsical Blue Donkey featured on many of the postcards.

Halfback REGISTER Postcards have art taking up the whole front of the card, leaving half of the back for the address, and the other half for the message. Halfback postcards are great for short scripts. You can take a look at https://fieldteam6.myshopify.com

Fullback REGISTER Postcards have the art and the address section on the front, making the “full back” available for writing a longer script. Field Team 6 calls these card “Open Writing Side cards.”

Choose the cards you want on the FT6 website. Write down the card name that appears when you click the card’s image. Decide how many of each card you’d like. Here’s the link for selecting your postcards: https://fieldteam6.myshopify.com/collections/post-cards

Two of the full-back REGISTER cards can be used for any Field Team 6 campaign. We highly recommend: Liberty Donkey (pictured above) and Eagle-over-Donkey. Scroll down for a third fullback REGISTER card you may wish to purchase. This one is designed specifically for our Save the Planet for your Grandkids campaign. Here’s a link to Fullback/Open Writing Side Cards: https://fieldteam6.myshopify.com/collections/all/products/full-open-writing-side-cards.

Once you decide which postcards you want and how many of each, call Mike Krumbein, the Field Team 6 printer, at 714-399-8708. Tell him the names and how many of the postcards you’d like to order and ask for the 20% STA discount. Mike will take your information, ship your cards, and email you a statement that you can pay by credit card.

VOTE Postcards also come in halfback and fullback styles.

We recommend that you get the fullback style because they work for short or longer scripts. Below are good sources for getting any style of VOTE postcards:

• The Markers for Democracy Vista Print Shop is a great place to get postcards of all sorts. The shop is private, so you will a need to sign up and create a password the first time. Here is the link: http://markersfordemocracy.ourproshop.com/register

• Post Cards to Voters offers a wide variety of postcards: https://postcardstovoters.mypostcard.com/

• You can also buy VOTE cards from Etsy or Amazon

2. WRITING TOOLS

Most of us use Sharpie Ultra-fine permanent markers. These Sharpie markers work well and don’t run or smear. They come in sets of 8 and 12 in vibrant colors which is great for writing postcards. Sharpies can be found at drug stores, craft stores, Staples or you can order them at Amazon.

Yellow highlighter markers are useful for making key words and phrases stand out.

3. Wite-Out!

Every card you write should be proofed for accuracy so be prepared to make corrections when needed. We all do!

4. POSTCARD STAMPS

Purchase them from any post office or USPS online at https://store.usps.com/store/home. Get several rolls. The price for a roll of 100 forever postcard stamps is currently $56. (Don’t fall for the Discount Stamps scam!) The price has increased twice this year and could go up again, but the forever postcard stamps are always good.

Our Partners for Postcarding Campaigns

We work with several organizations that have identified campaigns where postcards can make a difference. They compile lists of eligible voters or potential Democratic voters and their addresses and provide instructions and the scripts. Here are the links to learn about each one:

Field Team 6: https://fieldteam6.herokuapp.com/getting_started

Activate America: https://www.activateamerica.vote/postcards

Postcards to Voters – Tony the Democrat: https://postcardstovoters.org

Northeast Arizona Native Democrats: https://neaz.org/cardzilla

Blue Wave Postcard Movement: https://shop.bluewavepostcards.org/

While some of the campaigns we write for go on for many months, special elections often have a tight deadline. The best ways to know what campaign we are currently writing for is to sign up for our weekly newsletter at SeniorsTakingAction.org, and join our Wednesday Zoom meetings. The Postcarding Update in our weekly newsletters lists the campaigns we are writing for and provides information on how to get addresses and instructions.

If you need additional help or have a question, get in touch with our postcarding directors:


[email protected]


[email protected]