Back in the Fall, East Shore members and friends did an amazing job of writing postcards and letters, and making phone calls to help ensure marginalized voters in states such as Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina knew where and when to register and their options for actually voting in the November General Election. The increased voter turnout numbers speak to our success in making a difference in those states.
But just when we thought we were done, Georgia decided they needed a run off vote for their senators. We again wanted to encourage voters in that state to be sure to vote, so we sent out appeals to our list of trustworthy postcard and letter writers to encourage them to step up again. This time the timescale was tight, as all letters and cards had to be in the mail by December 7, but our core distribution team of David Edfeldt, Marilyn Mayers and Lynn Roesch stepped up to make sure everyone who was able to write had the supplies they needed.
In total, around 8,605 postcards with addresses and labels were distributed to 110 volunteers, both from among our East Shore membership and in other congregations and friends. No doubt some of them shared their batch with other friends, to help ensure that all the postcards got written and mailed, so our influence was felt far and wide. Others printed off letters from the Vote Forward website to mail to Georgia as well. It’s great to see so many East Shore members and friends get involved with this project, and to build some relationships with other congregations both locally and beyond. Let’s hope that Georgia voters turn out again in big numbers for this special election.
by Amanda Strombom