Stacey Holeman, left, and Debi Ferrer began writing postcards ahead of the May primary election last December. The small “postcard crew” of about eight is now up to 20 or more due to excitement surrounding Vice President Kamala Harris becoming Democratic presidential nominee. Each card is handwritten and addressed to encourage voter turnout.
The small “postcard crew” of about eight is now up to 20 or more due to excitement surrounding Vice President Kamala Harris becoming Democratic presidential nominee.
THE DALLES — What started as a postcard campaign by a few individuals has become a group effort.
In December, a dedicated crew of six to eight Wasco County Democrats began meeting twice a month to write postcards encouraging others to vote in the May primary. After the election, they continued to meet, now gathering each Monday.
“The support we’ve given each other and the impact of meeting regularly with like-minded people, especially in a rural part of Oregon, has been a highlight,” said Stacey Holeman, a retired teacher who chaired the effort. “… I’ve looked forward to our next gathering every time because of the camaraderie and support.”
The goal: Flip the U.S. House of Representatives from a Republican majority to Democrat and encourage both voter turnout and early voting. Most research supports that handwritten election postcards help encourage voter turnout, she said.
Stacey Holeman, left, and Debi Ferrer began writing postcards ahead of the May primary election last December. The small “postcard crew” of about eight is now up to 20 or more due to excitement surrounding Vice President Kamala Harris becoming Democratic presidential nominee. Each card is handwritten and addressed to encourage voter turnout.
Chelsea Marr photo
“We’ve focused on electing Janelle Bynum in Oregon House District 5, flipping the seat from red to blue, and have also supported Andrea Salinas (District 6) and Val Hoyle (District 4), Democrat incumbents in close races,” said Holeman. “We’ve also written postcards in close House races in swing states.”
Once Kamala Harris became the Democrat nominee for president, the postcard crew grew by more than 50%, Holeman said — to 20 or more attending each Monday.
Holeman said the group is working to move America forward. “At this point in our history, that means voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, who will work to protect our freedoms and encourage empathy instead of hatred,” she said.
By their last meeting Sept. 16, the group had written more than 6,000 postcards, which will be mailed in October.
Each postcard completed by the group of Wasco County Democrats volunteers is handwritten and addressed to encourage voter turnout.
Chelsea Marr photo
“We currently have about 6,000 written, addressed, and stamped, with about 2,000 out with writers working at home — they’re all due by the end of September, so about 8,000 altogether, plus about 1,000 Neighborhood Leaders Project postcards that feature our endorsed candidates and measures,” Holeman said. “We will probably meet one more time in October to stamp the rest of the postcards and deliver them in a celebratory fashion to the post office.”
Holeman began writing postcards and letters with like-minded individuals through various programs after the 2016 election. “We became a local chapter for the national Indivisible movement and named ourselves ‘Protect Oregon’s Progress’ — POP,” she said.
Late last year, Holeman and Debi Ferrer began writing postcards with a group consistently, building their efforts as the May Primary grew closer. “I agreed to chair the effort because Debi has huge responsibilities with the state Indivisible network, ‘Consolidated Oregon Indivisible Network’ — COIN. We spread the word about our group through the POP and Wasco Democrats mailing lists,” said Holeman.
The small “postcard crew” of about eight is now up to 20 or more due to excitement surrounding Vice President Kamala Harris becoming Democratic presidential nominee.
Chelsea Marr photo
Though they are not currently looking to grow the postcard crew, they do plan to continue writing letters of support for local priorities in the future.
Anyone interested can sign up to volunteer through Wasco County Democrats, www. wascodemocrats.org, or at the office at 101 W Second St., The Dalles.
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