For returning writers, go to https://addresses.postcards4va.com.  For new writers, sign up at https://postcards4va.com.

You can request from 1 – 499 addresses. If you need a larger quantity, contact us at participate@postcards4va.com.

You are writing to democratic voters. This election will be decided by turnout. We need to make sure everyone votes.

You are responsible for providing the postcards. You can buy  cards at cost through the Postcards4VA ProShop powered by VistaPrint.  To use our Proshop, you will need to set up a Proshop account. 

You pay for postage. Postcard stamps cost $0.48 (roll of 100 postcard stamps costs $48). If you are writing postcards with friends either in person or virtually, ask everyone involved to contribute to purchasing postage.

Handwrite a positive message that only you could write. Tell the story of why you are investing your time and money to handwrite this postcard and voting and this this election is important. Writing something heartfelt and personal makes a difference.

For advice on how to write your message, you can watch this video of Meryl Neiman, co-founder of  Ohio Progressive Action Leaders (OPAL) explaining importance of following the message formula of Values, Villians and  Vision,  

Some candidates provide special campaign talking points. When candidates have specific scripts, they will be in the instructions with the addresses. 

For guidelines on how to do impactful messaging, check out the messaging guidebooks provided by We Make the the Future.

For messaging to white women, we invite you to check out the outstanding research and messaging advice from Galvanize Action. 

This is where we confirm that this card was written by a real person. If you are in the same district as the candidate: Use your first name and location. If you are outside the district (especially if you are outside the state of Virginia), use your first name and identify yourself as a “volunteer”. Feel free to include the name of your organization. For example: Robbin, Postcards4VA volunteer”.

Make sure your message doesn’t extend into the address area so the post office scanner can read the street, city, and zip.

Yes! Let your friends and family know that you are writing postcards. However, cover up the address to protect the privacy of the addressee.  Be sure to tag us in your posts with #Postcards4VA. 

Postcarding is a great activity for friends and family. For postcard craftivism (crafting + activism) ideas, check out https://postcards4va.com/craftivism.

We believe in adhering to election laws. Election rules impact postcard writing in two stand-alone provisions. The first one involves identifying who paid for the postcard by having a visible disclaimer. The second provision consists of reporting the costs associated with making and mailing the postcards as an in-kind contribution to the campaign.

Election rules are different for state and federal elections. We follow both state and federal election rules.

Though the Federal Election Commission (FEC) does not require an individual to provide a disclaimer if the total quantity mailed within a 30-day period is below 500 somewhat similar cards, the FEC advises to err on the side of caution. This is why 1) we limit any one person from getting more than 499 addresses and 2) recommend all postcards have a disclaimer.

What should the disclaimer look like?
The FEC requires a box around the disclaimer. The font should be legible (no smaller than 7 pt). The FEC also has three options for what a disclaimer must say: Authorized and financed by campaign, authorized and not financed by campaign, or not authorized or financed by campaign. If the third option is chosen, the disclaimer should include a means for contact: address, URL or phone number (for more information). 

How are my postcards reported?
Campaigns have to report all contributions, whether cash or in-kind. Writing postcards to voters is considered an in-kind contribution. To simplify things for writers and campaigns, Postcards4VA securely gathers the information needed to submit for an itemized in-kind donation from everyone who registered to get addresses from us and submits the value of the postcards to the campaigns based on the number of addresses downloaded. 

Postcards4VA calculates the in-kind value of a handwritten postcard as follows: $0.48 postage + $0.50 postcard = $0.98 per card. For example, if you write 100 cards, the in-kind value is $98.00.