Postcards are an effective way to get your elected representatives to take action on issues that matter to you. You can write to demand they support a piece of legislation or even encourage them to propose a new bill to tackle a pressing problem in your community.IGNITE has been training young women on legislative advocacy for a decade. Writing postcards to Senators and Representatives is one of our favorite advocacy tactics. We'll share some best practices and tips for you to write compelling postcards to your elected officials using the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the CROWN Act as examples.
Why are postcards are one of the most effective tactics in your advocacy toolkit?
There are five reasons writing postcards are our jam.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
- One of the best things about postcards is the eye-catching visuals. Try to find a postcard with an image that relates to the issue you are writing about. If you are writing to advance policy preventing climate change, send a postcard of a polar bear. If you are advocating for expanded voting rights, use a tool like Canva to design your own postcard and find an image of long lines at the polls. We have so little time to capture the attention of our representatives. A postcard gives you a visual leg up on a full email inbox or borning white business envelopes.
- The message is in your face. You don't have to open an envelope. The note is quick to read and hard to ignore when sitting atop a pile of mail. All a representative has to do is walk by to see stacks of postcards boasting highly visual motivation to learn more about a given cause. And, TBH, who has time for long letters?
- Postcards are super easy to write! Maybe it's because they remind us of vacation that it feels low pressure to write a postcard to your legislator. Or perhaps it's knowing that you only have to write a few sentences given the limited space. Postcards are a lot easier to write - and faster - than an email, a petition, or a letter.
- You can write more postcards than letters. If you wrote postcards to get out the vote in the 2020 general election, you might have gotten hand cramps like me. Quantity matters when you're trying to change the hearts and minds of elected officials. The more postcards a representative gets on the same issue, the more likely they may take action for their constituents.
- Postcards are affordable. Within the U.S., it's $0.36 to mail a postcard. You can find packs of postcards at the Dollar Store for under $1. If you want to support artists and small businesses, Etsy has many sellers that design postcards for advocacy campaigns. You can even design postcards from scratch using materials found at home - 4x6 index cards work well.
What should I advocate for when I send postcards to my representatives?
If you care about something and want to see policy changed, write to your representatives about it. These are just a few examples of postcards I've written to my lawmakers:
- Make college free
- Forgive student loans
- Invest in green technologies
- End the "tampon tax"
For the 2021 legislative cycle at the federal level, IGNITE is advocating for two bills that would make dynamite postcards campaigns:
The anatomy of advocacy postcards
There isn't a lot of real estate on a postcard, but it's essential to include a few core components when writing to your legislators.
- A salutation with the proper title
- The title and number (if available) of the bill you are asking them to support
- A summary of the bill
- What you want your lawmaker to do
- Your name, city, and zip code. An elected only needs to listen to you if you are a constituent of their district or state.
Using the CROWN Act as an example, here's what a full message could look like:
Dear Senator Murray,
Black women are 1.5 times more likely to be sent home from the workplace because of their hair. While WA is one of seven states that has made hair discrimination illegal, it's still legal throughout most of the USA, remaining a source of racial injustice with serious economic consequences for Black people. The CROWN Act corrects these racial injustices by making hair discrimination illegal. It's necessary to pass the CROWN Act because it will protect Black people from hair discrimination in school and the workplace. Please reintroduce the CROWN Act and urge your colleagues in the Senate to join you. Thank you. - Kirsten, Seattle, WA, 98118
What makes a strong message on an advocacy postcard?
You only have a few sentences to make people care. It's time to brush up on some persuasive writing tips before putting pen to paper. You can already check one thing off your list - passion. Already having a strong opinion about your subject will make its defense a bit easier.
- Grab the reader's attention. Start with a fact that supports your position to cue the recipient into the subject.
- Research the opposition. In order to convince the recipient to agree with you, you also have to know what you're trying to get them to disagree with. You may not have the room to present both arguments on a postcard, but it's good to know regardless.
- Be empathetic. A recipient is more inclined to believe you if they feel like you can relate to and understand their experiences. If the bill in question could impact them personally, make a note of that.
- Ask rhetorical questions. Presenting questions forces the recipient to answer for themselves and reflect on a topic they may have not previously considered.
- Repeat yourself. A word or phrase's strategic repetition can be an effective way to remind the reader of your ask or what you are
Using the John Lewis Voting Rights Act as an example, here's what a full message could look like:
Dear Senator Rubio,
In 2018, 8,000 previously registered voters in Miami-Dade country found themselves ineligible to vote when they went to the polls. Everyone deserves the right to vote, but not everyone is given equal access to voting. Voter suppression has been a barrier for far too long, especially for minorities here in Florida. The Voting Rights Act would protect everyone's right to vote regardless of background. With your help, more young voters and voters of color can take part in shaping our democracy. Please reintroduce the Voting Rights Act in the Senate and encourage your colleagues to join you. Thank you for your consideration. - Deshani, Miami, FL 33199
I've written my postcards. What's next?
Use Congress Plus to look up the address of your legislators and find new ways to be a digital advocate for your causes.