Postcards are easy to do from your own home and on your own time. For new activists, they are an excellent gateway: the first step on a path to greater involvement in effecting pro-democracy change in our country. For seasoned activists, they provide a quick way to reach more voters in crucial states.

Rise Up Frederick’s postcards reach key people in critical states and districts. So far in 2026, we have focused on two major postcarding efforts:

• We are currently enlisting new Democratic voters with Field Team 6 postcards. So far in 2026, we have sent 730[LM1]  Field Team 6 postcards to boost Democratic registration in Iowa, Michigan, and Arizona[LM2] . We are going to increase our efforts here because registering more Democrats is essential to building a strong blue wave in November to overcome authoritarianism. 

• Earlier in the year, we sent more than 2100 News Boosting postcards to Iowa voters to inform them of the damaging polices of the Trump regime. Iowa is a key state for getting out the left-leaning vote with an open governor’s seat, an open Senate seat, and the possibility of flipping US House and State legislative seats. Iowa farmers and small businesses have been especially hurt by the regime’s tariffs and other policies.

Studies have determined that postcards increase voter turnout by 0.4% - 1.7%, with most showing an increase of around 1.25%. While this might seem small, there are two key points to keep in mind: (1) many races are won by tiny vote margins of a few thousand, a few hundred, or even less, and (2) with a large number of postcards, a small percentage equals many added votes in key states. 

To illustrate:

• Postcards can reach some of the hardest-to-reach people.

• In the 2023-2024 cycle, Field Team 6 postcards went to 818,000 people reachable only by postcard.

• 32% of them registered Blue or Purple.

• Of those, 80% voted.

Also, a Blue Analytics analysis found that postcards more positively impact Democratic voters in red states than those in blue states and are particularly effective for voters under age 45. We need those red-state and younger-skewing Democratic votes!

Beyond the numbers, AccuZip tells us that postcards play an important role in voter engagement. They create a sense of personal connection and relevance and make the recipient feel valued, which in turn makes the postcards’ messages more impactful.

1. Attend a Rise Up Frederick meeting (the second Monday of each month, 6:00 p.m. at ERUCC) and join the Postcarding Work Group’s breakout session, or approach a member and ask to be added to the email list.

2. Email Group Leader Melanie Galloway at danmelgalloway@verizon.net and ask to be added to the group’s email list. Use the subject line “RUF Postcarding.”

3. Once plugged in, volunteer to write postcards. Our campaigns provide instructions, scripts, and addresses. Some provide postcards. To participate in our current Field Team 6 effort, you have two options:

a. Order the addresses, etc., yourself by clicking here. (Please let Melanie know how many you order so she can count them in our impact total.)

b. Get the materials from Melanie (email address above).

4. Even if you can’t write postcards, you can help by donating postcard stamps. Your donation will enable some of our members to write more postcards than they can fund on their own. Email Melanie if you would like to make a stamp donation, or if you are a member who needs stamps to write postcards.

We look forward to having you on our postcarding team!