Why This Is a Fun—and Genuinely Effective—Way to Help Revive Democracy
Writing postcards to mail to occasional voters is one of the most powerful things you can do for democracy. And it is also one of the easiest, cheapest, and most relaxing ways to act.
Here’s some good news: one of the most powerful things you can do for democracy this fall is also one of the easiest, cheapest, and most relaxing.
Writing a get-out-the-vote (GOTV) postcard takes about a minute — no canvassing in the heat, no awkward phone calls, no special skills required. You sit down with a cup of coffee, a pen, and a short stack of cards, and you write a few warm, honest sentences to someone who might otherwise skip voting.
And it works. Peer-reviewed research across hundreds of thousands of voters has found repeatedly that handwritten postcards boost turnout, especially among people who vote occasionally but not every cycle.
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Two ways to do postcarding. Six providers.
Join the Third Act Texas GOTV Postcarding Project. Our volunteer group will help you either
- Host Postcard Parties (or join one nearby) or
- Work from the comfort of your own home
Once you’ve decided how you want to do it, we’ll help you pick the postcard provider organization you prefer to get your postcards and supplies. Below are six different organizations who use science in designing their postcard campaigns to ensure maximum voter impact.
Every one of these six organizations will hand you exactly what you need—a list of real voters, a proven message, and clear instructions — so there’s no guesswork involved. Many even mail you free postcards and, in some cases, send stamps for free.
Whether you have twenty minutes or a whole weekend, whether you want to write five cards or five hundred, there’s a program here that’s sized just right for you.
Pick one (or several!), grab a friend or two, put on a podcast, and get writing. It’s a small act that can add up to something big.
Join our next zoom orientation, SIGN UP HERE
Quick-Pick Cheat Sheet
Read below the detailed descriptions of the six postcard provider organizations, along with postcard campaigns in Texas going on now or before the midterms. Use this Cheat Sheet to compare the six different providers quickly and decide which one(s) you like (read organization descriptions below):
| If you want… | Try this |
| Everything free, zero cost to you | Environmental Voter Project, Texas Postcard Project, or possibly Vote Forward (may have free kits available on request) |
| The smallest possible commitment | Vote Forward (as few as 5 letters), Activate America |
| Flexibility to write any number, anytime | Activate America |
| A cause tied to climate action | Environmental Voter Project, Texas Postcard Project |
| A big, active national movement with bulk kits | Blue Wave |
| A local, in-person Texas project with a personal touch | Texas Postcard Project |
Who Are the Six Postcard Provider Organizations?
Activate America
Link
Activate America sends postcards to low propensity registered voters in competitive U.S. House and Senate districts to remind them to vote, sometimes for specific candidates. Third Act is partnering with this organization.
- Active campaigns: Multiple House/Senate district campaigns are live at any given time on an interactive map that updates regularly. Currently, there is a campaign running for James Talarico.
- Training required? No, you create a free account, confirm your email, and pick a campaign.
- Postcards provided? No, you supply your own, and they provide options. We recommend T Marie, which are attractive and reasonably priced. Get postcards from T Marie.
- Stamps free? No: postcard stamps are 65 cents, at your local USPS post office or USPS online.
- How fast do supplies arrive? Your voter list and script typically land in your inbox within minutes of ordering, and you’re asked to mail within 2–3 weeks of receiving addresses.
- Minimum commitment: None.
Postcards to Swing States (Progressive Turnout Project)
Link
This program mails free, pre-printed postcards and matching voter lists to volunteers, who add a short-handwritten note encouraging people in swing states and competitive U.S. House districts to vote in the Nov. 3, 2026 midterms.
- Active campaigns: The current GOTV postcards program includes campaigns in several states, those with the most competitive elections. They also have News Boosting campaigns that combat disinformation and make sure voters in states with key elections in 2026 learn how harmful the Trump/GOP agenda is for them. Currently has 4 Texas House races (TX 15, 23, 34 & 35), picked because they’re likely to be the closest House races. News Boosting postcards for all of Texas are also available. These postcards help combat disinformation and make sure voters in states with key elections in 2026 learn how harmful the Trump/GOP agenda is for them.
- Training required? No – sign up and they mail you everything with clear instructions.
- Postcards provided? Yes, completely free.
- Stamps free? No: postcard stamps are 65 cents, at your local USPS post office or USPS online.
- How fast do supplies arrive? Orders of 100-300 postcards ship within one week, orders of 500+ within 1-3 days. All the mailing dates are in October, so you have plenty of time to complete your postcards.
- Minimum commitment: 100.
Environmental Voter Project (EVP)
Link
Identifies non-voting environmentalists and converts them into a critical mass of consistent voters that will soon be too big for politicians to ignore.
- Active campaigns: One postcarding opportunity before midterms and is for Texas.
- Training required? Yes; watch a training video and request cards by August 21. To start contact EVP at this address: volunteersupport@Environmentalvoter.org.
- Postcards provided? Yes, at no cost.
- Stamps free? Yes, at no cost.
- How fast do supplies arrive? Supplies will be mailed to you between August 27 and September 10; you mail completed cards on October 15.
- Minimum commitment: 200.
Blue Wave
Blue Wave targets low-propensity, likely-progressive voters in swing states, encouraging them to register, request a mail ballot, and vote in critical elections. Read Blue Wave FAQ.
This organization you to write only 1 sentence and stick on a pre-printed address label, so they can be completed very quickly.
- Active campaigns: Texas.
- Training required? No.
- Postcards provided? Yes — sold in kits of 100 pre-printed postcards with addresses and instructions for $14 plus $10 postage fee.
- Stamps free? No: you can buy at 65 cents/stamp from Blue Wave or at your local USPS post office or USPS online.
- How fast do supplies arrive? Blue Wave will start shipping August 21; you mail by September 10.
- Minimum commitment: 100.
Vote Forward
Vote Forward volunteers write personal, handwritten letters (not postcards) to infrequent voters in targeted “social” and “political” campaigns in swing states, aiming to build a genuine human connection that encourages turnout (Vote Forward Campaigns).
- Active campaigns: Pennsylvania & Michigan; Nevada & North Carolina. Mail October 1 to 24.
- Training required? Yes: a real person reviews every new volunteer application, usually within about two days; after that, you’re free to start after that.
- Letters provided? Volunteers typically print their own at home. However, free pre-printed kits (20 letters, envelopes, and stamps) may be available on request.
- Stamps free? No, but free kits of 20 stamps or 20 letters, envelopes and stamps may be available on request.
- How fast do supplies arrive? Once your account is approved (about two days), you can download voters and letter templates instantly online.
- Minimum commitment: 5.
Texas Postcard Project (2026)
This grassroots project—organized by Bob and Victoria Hendricks with First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin—sends nonpartisan GOTV postcards to registered voters in the five counties of the Lower Rio Grande Valley that make up Texas’s three most competitive U.S. House districts (TX-15, TX-28, TX-34).
Using voter history and turnout modeling, it specifically targets people who voted in the 2024 presidential election but skipped the 2022 midterms, plus voters who score highly on Yale Program on Climate Change Communication models for climate concern. Messages deliberately avoid any mention of candidates or parties to stay strictly nonpartisan.
- Active campaigns: One — the 2026 Lower Rio Grande Valley GOTV postcard campaign.
- Training required? Yes — a 14-minute training video walks you through writing an effective, nonpartisan message and the mailing logistics (Texas Postcard Project training video).
- Postcards provided? Yes.
- Stamps free? Yes.
- How fast do supplies arrive? Within a few weeks. The target mail date is October 23, 2026, with stamps distributed to volunteers by early October.
- Minimum commitment: 100.