I VOTE BECAUSE...

Best reasons are personal. Some mention describe memories from childhood of going to the polls with your parents, others talk about civic responsibility or the hard-won right to vote. Read more at Vote Forward training, but below are some ideas, some long and some short.
  • I want myself and all of us to be able to make our own decisions about whether or when to start a family without interference from politicians. I saw the difference it made in real people's lives when representatives were elected who passed policies that supported reproductive health and rights.
  • I vote because in the operating room, moments after my son was born I promised him that his mom and I would do everything we could to build a better world for him. His generation faces so many challenges, from a warming climate to a growing gap between the rich and everyone else, from school shootings to a deeply divided society. I vote to keep my promise to my baby son and elect leaders who will build a better world for him to grow up in.
  • I vote because my wife owns her own small business and she relied upon government support during the pandemic to help keep her business running. It was a scary time when she had no work coming in and we didn't know what was going to happen in the future. I vote for local, state, and national leaders who will work to ensure that small businesses are able to survive challenging times like these.

    • General
  • Many recent elections have been decided by just a few voters — especially local issues. It's URGENT voters like us show up to protect our future!
  • I want to be able to tell the government what I want them to do with my tax money
  • Our votes help amplify voices of those who are disenfranchised and marginalized
  • Some elections in RI, ND, WI, UT and others have been decided by literally one vote!
  • Bad politicians are elected by good people who don't vote.
  • When I vote I play a part in deciding what laws are going to affect me and my loved ones. If I don’t vote, someone else will be making those decisions for me.
  • Life has become so busy and we have become so polarized as a nation. Sometimes we feel powerless to do anything about it. But we have the power to change the world when we make our voices heard by voting for those we feel will best represent our values.

    • Quotes
  • Roald Dahl: “Somewhere inside of all of us is the power to change the world.”
  • Anne Frank: "Nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
  • Benjamin Franklin: “A Republic, if you can keep it"
  • Thomas Jefferson: “We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.”
  • Lyndon B. Johnson: “The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men.”
  • Abraham Lincoln: “Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”
  • Plato: “Your silence gives consent.”
1 Vote Forward letter-writing consists of personalizing the pre-printed letter addressed to the voter (whose information appears in small font at the bottom of each letter). Avoid cursive; if ever in doubt about legibility, ask me. Please use a pen with non-black ink so your message stands out.
Click to make larger
2 On a separate sheet or index card, compose your own short, heartfelt message about why you think it's important to vote (save it so you can copy this message from one letter-writing session to another) or see options in the sidebar on the right. You can mention specific issues, just do not mention candidates by name or assume the recipient agrees with your policy preferences. Consider adding: Vote early, and if voting by mail, don't forget to sign your envelope!
3 Start the letter by filling in the first name provided on the bottom of each page; write your personalized message in the space provided, and sign with your first name and last initial. Address the envelope ("from" address is your first name & last initial, and Vote Forward; "to" address is on the bottom of each letter).
4 Make the letter "pop" with highlighters for important details, underlines or stars, stickers, drawings, smiley faces, etc. Some people draw or put stickers on the envelope itself as well. Being more formal is fine, too.
5If this is your first time writing postcards with us, email me the photo of your card for quality control.
6 Check that letter matches the address on the envelope (it should look like this), put the letter into the envelope, and seal.
7 If you can afford it, stamp the letters. DO NOT MAIL THE VOTE FORWARD LETTERS! They are to be stockpiled and sent later in the year. When you complete the letters you requested, please return everything you were provided to the host in exchange for more!
P.S.

Consider the following process to speed up your writing and increase accuracy. 1. Write the return address on all the envelopes (it's the same for all letters per state). 2. Copy your personalized message to all the letters. 3. Working on one letter at a time, write the "To" address on the envelope, put that letter in, and seal it.

Three most common errors letter writers make: a) putting the letter into an envelope addressed to a different person; b) mixing up "To" address and "From" address; c) not double-checking the spelling of people's names (there are many uniquely spelled names nowadays).

Thank you for being a volunteer!!!