D.C. Congregation to send 1,000 handwritten postcards to empower low-vote areas

This year, Cleveland Park Congregational United Church of Christ set out to send 500 postcards to help “get out the vote” to people who live in low-vote areas and swing states for the Nov. 5 election.

But the effort is exceeding their expectations, and the Washington, D.C., congregation anticipates they will send close to 1,000 postcards.

“Postcarding” aims to address issues of voter suppression and low voter turnout by sending handwritten, detailed information about when and where to vote directly to people’s homes.

“As a small church in D.C., we sometimes wonder how much impact we can have — especially since most of our members don’t have representation in Congress,” said the Rev. Ellen Jennings, pastor of Cleveland Park UCC. “Postcarding, and/or phone banking, is one way we can make a difference – reaching out to voters in states across the country, encouraging them to get to the polls and make their voices heard.”

Potlucks and parties

The church held a Postcarding Potluck in June where people could share a meal and write postcards, and they will hold a “Get Out the Vote” postcard party with music and snacks in September.

“I am working to get out the vote this election season because taking action is in line with my faith and values,” said congregant Maggie Micklo. “As a teacher, I know that the politicians elected this November will directly impact my work, my students’ futures, and the lives of their families. It all comes back to my values and standing up for the people I love.”

For these non-partisan postcarding efforts, Cleveland Park UCC provides congregants with instructions, stamps, and postcards. They use resources and voter registration lists from the Center for Common Ground, a non-partisan, Black and women-led organization that works to educate and empower voters of color in states with practices that can cause voter suppression.

Center for Common Ground data has shown that postcarding increases voter engagement and particularly reaches voters who do not have a phone number on file or cannot receive text messages.

‘So much at stake’

Cleveland Park UCC first began postcarding in 2022 as part the Faith & Democracy Campaign launched by the Justice & Witness Action Network of the UCC Central Atlantic Conference. This campaign connected the church with the Center for Common Ground, and at that time, several congregation members joined together and wrote 100 postcards.

But this year, “with so much at stake,” more congregants are joining and ramping up the efforts, Jennings said.

The church’s postcarding events are part of Cleveland Park UCC’s broader Taking Action/Taking Care series, which began in April with monthly events alternating between those that focus on taking action related to the election year and “ways we can take good care of ourselves and one another during this, frankly, stressful period,” said Jennings. The church also holds a monthly “Get Out the Vote” Zoom call for support and planning.

Love in action

For churches interested in getting engaged, the UCC Our Faith Our Vote Campaign offers tools to equip individuals and congregations for nonpartisan faithful engagement in the democratic process. This year, the campaign asks people to answer the call of 1 John 3:18 to “let us not love with words or speech, but in action and in truth,” by “voting with love.” 

The Our Faith Our Vote campaign includes resources such as guidelines for 501c3 activity, issue-based talking points, and tools to make sure you—and your friends!—are registered to vote.

This campaign also aims to continue highlighting stories of how congregations are getting involved as the Nov. 5 election approaches. Those wanting to share what’s happening at local congregations can contact Jennifer Richardson, Our Faith Our Vote campaign organizer.

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