Hundreds of envelopes containing signed Healthy Wyoming “commit to vote” cards arrived last week by mail to households across the state.
These were cards that Healthy Wyoming organizers and volunteers had collected over the summer, soliciting strangers at events like Cheyenne Super Day and Lander’s Pride in the Park.
The strangers would agree to vote, sign the card, and move on, leaving Healthy Wyoming with their contact information.
During the following weeks and months, each person who signed a “commit to vote” card received a digital packet of information about voting as well as follow-up phone calls to answer questions.
Mailing the physical cards back was the final step. Last Tuesday evening, even as a power outage had closed down much of Laramie, a group of more than a dozen volunteers gathered to address and stuff envelopes with individualized voter information for the people who committed to vote.
The envelopes included the original card the person signed, as well—a reminder in their own handwriting of the pledge they had made.
No matter how the contests turn out on Primary Election Day, Healthy Wyoming’s “commit to vote” program reached hundreds of people who likely would not have cast a ballot otherwise.
It also provided us with hundreds of new potential folks to engage in the fight for Medicaid expansion as we look forward to the 2023 Legislative session.
Research-based approach
Research shows that “commit to vote” programs are among the most effective tactics to convince unlikely voters to cast a ballot. Receiving a reminder from yourself tends to get your attention.
Healthy Wyoming’s Laramie County Field Organizer, Angela Silvester, said one person who had signed a “commit to vote” card earlier this summer recognized her in public last weekend and thanked her for sending back the card.
“She said it was such a cool reminder to go vote, and she appreciated the contact information for her local candidates, too,” Silvester said.
In all, Healthy Wyoming collected nearly 400 total commitments to vote, with nearly 300 coming from physical cards. The others came from a digital campaign for folks already part of the movement.
Only 30 percent of Wyoming residents tend to vote in the primary elections, and many contests are often decided by just a handful of votes. So each vote counts in many of the contests that will be decided today.
Volunteer effort
The Healthy Wyoming “commit to vote” campaign would not have been possible without dedicated volunteers.
In addition to our organizing staff, 32 volunteers spent nearly 100 hours helping out, whether collecting “commit to vote” cards at events, phone banking, or stuffing envelopes.
“I talked to a lady who hasn’t had the time to research candidates or figure out how to vote, because she is undergoing cancer chemo treatment and trying to figure out ways to pay her medical bills.”
Eva Koplin, Healthy Wyo organizer
In addition to mailing the cards, the Healthy Wyoming crew made 480 phone calls and sent more than 500 text messages as part of the effort.
Healthy Wyoming organizer Eva Koplin said some of the folks she spoke with were also people impacted by a lack of healthcare access.
“I talked to a lady who hasn’t had the time to research candidates or figure out how to vote, because she is undergoing cancer chemo treatment and trying to figure out ways to pay her medical bills,” Koplin said. “It’s the sad reality of many Wyoming folks who are either not insured or underinsured. We are fighting for Medicaid expansion for folks like her!”
Building our movement
Now that most of the next Legislature’s seats are set—many contests for the Wyoming House and Senate are decided in the primaries—Healthy Wyoming will turn its efforts toward re-energizing our grassroots movement to convince lawmakers to expand Medicaid in 2023.
The people we engaged this summer will be a critical part of that effort.
Silvester, the Healthy Wyoming organizer, said that as she canvassed events like Cheyenee’s Fridays in the Plaza concert series, people would see her yellow t-shirt that says “Expand Wyoming Medicaid” and ask how they could help out.
Each one signed a “commit to vote” card, and Silvester told them to stay tuned for more.
Voting is a big, important step. But after the elections are over, the fight for Medicaid expansion is still to come.
