I screwed up my postcards to voters. Can I fix them?

September 17, 2024 8:52 AM

So I have AuDHD and I posted here a while ago about what I could do to get out the vote and the general consensus was that writing postcards would be the best fit. But my ADHD screwed up even that simple task. I didn't read the instructions carefully enough and I wrote them in cursive. Today I learned that young people can't read cursive because it's no longer being taught.

Now I'm emotionally dysregulated and I'm fighting flashbacks of my dad verbally abusing me every time I made a mistake, while trying to figure out how to fix it so all those stamps, postcards, and hours haven't been wasted. (I have a screening appointment for ADHD meds today).

Anyway, I thought maybe to fix it I could type the message into a Google Doc, print out multiple copies, cut them, and use a glue stick to paste them onto the cards. Is this acceptable or have I just completely wasted my GOTV "spoons" and materials? I could also steam off the stamps, order new postcards, rewrite them and paste the stamps on with the glue stick...if they would even send me extra postcards, and I don't know that they would.

I feel like a complete and total fuck up and that doing the extra work to make up for being such a loser is what I deserve. Don't worry, I'm going to reach out to a therapist today...not that I haven't been in therapy off and on since my 20s and still need it. FML.

posted by Beethoven's Sith to Law & Government (41 answers total)

Just send them in cursive. It's fine.
posted by bowbeacon at 8:54 AM on September 17 [86 favorites]

It's going to be OK. Thank you for doing these.
posted by AwkwardPause at 8:57 AM on September 17 [21 favorites]

Hey, mistakes happen, and learning how to tell that inner critical voice to "shut up" is a skill that needs a lot of work.

This is very much an 'opinion' sort of mistake -- it's not an error, like having the wrong phone number or misspelling a name. There are differing opinions on the effectiveness of cursive writing on marketing materials, you went with your gut and did cursive, that's not an outright mistake, it's what you wanted to do and your desires do count for something.

If I were you: Enough people can read cursive that they're not useless cards. Mail out the cards as they are, then get a new set of cards printed with a non-cursive message, mail them out to the same mailing list. The amount of work 'fixing' as you've described is pretty much always going to be a higher cost than printing more (if it's only a few, printing new ones are cheap; if it's a lot you'll spend too many hours pasting over the text).

The worst consequence here is the extra cost of a second mailing, but ask any marketing person, contacting multiple times increase the odds of success greatly, you'll see benefits from paying for a second mailing.
posted by AzraelBrown at 8:58 AM on September 17 [4 favorites]

Send them in cursive. My child is eight and can read cursive despite never having been taught it because it's a third grade subject here. Cursive is mandatory in over half the states in public schools, nearly all religious schools still teach it - send them. You did a good thing. You don't need to make extra work for yourself.
posted by notjustthefish at 9:03 AM on September 17 [29 favorites]

Did you know that Google translate can understand cursive? I just did a little test. So, anyone who wasn't taught cursive will undoubtedly be adept at using their phone. And some schools still teach cursive today.

It'll be ok.

Send the postcards as is.
posted by skunk pig at 9:03 AM on September 17 [2 favorites]

A) thank you for doing this
B) the world is not your father
C) I think cursive postcards would be better than pasted computer printouts
D) you're not the first, middle, or last person to have signed up to write postcards and had trouble along the way. I'm sure some percentage of people every time just don't complete it - for really valid reasons.

I'd either send out the cursive ones* or ask if you can get a new batch of postcards. I don't see any reason to assume they wouldn't do that.

* You never know, maybe cursive would hit just the right note for someone. There is something earnest/real about it.
posted by trig at 9:05 AM on September 17 [19 favorites]

also if the cost of the stamps is a hardship for you that's one thing, but if you're just beating yourself up over the terrible financial/environmental/something waste of some stamps on principle then I hereby absolve you of that sin!
posted by trig at 9:10 AM on September 17 [2 favorites]

If I got one of your cards I'd be thrilled that it was written by a human and not a computer. I'd study it for signs that it was a computer font, and when I figured out it was real, I'd think holy shit, someone really cared, and I'd show it to my sweetie.

Please stop beating yourself up, and thank you for doing this! Those instructions aren't the boss of you.
posted by fritley at 9:12 AM on September 17 [29 favorites]

I received a voting reminder from Democrats Abroad written in barely legible scrawl. The postcard still did the job. You can forgive yourself for this complete non-issue and congratulate yourself for keeping the torch burning for cursive in this small way.
posted by wakannai at 9:19 AM on September 17 [19 favorites]

I love random rare appearances of cursive and it’s very readable! When Jehovahs witnesses were sending handwritten letters during lockdown I read the whole thing because it was in nice cursive.
posted by The Last Sockpuppet at 9:35 AM on September 17 [3 favorites]

I work frequently with students, in the archival research setting. They can read regular modern cursive. They might not be able to read 19th century cross-hatched letters, but hey, neither can I most of the time. This not reading cursive thing is an overblown non-issue currently popular with the "kids these days" set. You're good, send the cards!
posted by CheeseLouise at 9:35 AM on September 17 [19 favorites]

If it's any consolation, I decided not to do postcards because I write by default in cursive and if I start printing, it turns into cursive. Also my handwriting stinks. So I pre-shamed myself before even starting.

Everyone else here says you're good to go, I would take their advice :)
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:37 AM on September 17 [2 favorites]

If you need any more anecdata: I have never been taught cursive, never written in cursive once in my life, but I can read it just fine! Send the postcards! You did a great job. I imagine more people will read something handwritten and will appreciate the effort.

(And good luck with your therapist!)
posted by fight or flight at 9:37 AM on September 17 [3 favorites]

Wow, thanks for the effort you've put in! Send the cards! They increase awareness and enthusiasm, even in cursive.

Dems are doing some social media stuff; I like any opportunity to be an activist from home in my jammies, in addition to other action.
posted by theora55 at 9:52 AM on September 17

Don't overthink it. It will be fine. Young folk still read cursive. It's not going anywhere soon. After all, who wants to get a love letter in block script?
posted by Czjewel at 9:54 AM on September 17 [1 favorite]

I wrote a few in cursive when I was on autopilot, and will send those out with the rest. Even if the message is hard to read, the front of the postcard has all the information about how to get registered, etc, so they are useful reminders.
posted by PussKillian at 10:02 AM on September 17 [5 favorites]

Data point: my kids can't *write* cursive because they were never taught that, but they can read it fine. (Some of the goofier capitals and the lowercase z they don't recognize, but those are rare and they can get the context.)
posted by away for regrooving at 10:04 AM on September 17 [2 favorites]

If you need to hear this: I like and appreciate you for helping push our democracy forward! Don't let the negative self talk allow perfection to be the enemy of the good. Since these postcards are for GOtV, I'm sure the recipients will feel your positive energy as well, regardless of font. It can be isolating in these times with all of these anti-immigration and anti-women messages coming at us; to receive a postcard from afar from someone else who genuinely cares about us is a beautiful thing. Send them!
posted by bluefly at 10:11 AM on September 17 [4 favorites]

100% still worthwhile to send! I've been doing letters with Vote Forward for years writing in cursive, and it didn't even occur to me that maybe I shouldn't! So YOU taught ME a better way to do it, so all my future letters will make up for the few of yours that you're stressing about. How 'bout that?
posted by greta simone at 10:16 AM on September 17 [5 favorites]

You're grand. Send the postcards and don't worry. Kids these days are much more capable than the "kids these days!" complainers give them credit for. You did a good thing – now get yourself a snack!
posted by notquitejane at 10:18 AM on September 17 [3 favorites]

Schools do still teach cursive handwriting, you'll be fine. Obviously not as much as the old days because a lot of work using it like reports are done on computer, but they still teach it.
posted by The_Vegetables at 10:24 AM on September 17 [1 favorite]

Many schools *do* teach cursive, it just isn't universally taught any longer. Your effort is worthwhile!! Please send the postcards and give yourself a deserved pat on the back for doing something for a cause you believe in!
posted by epj at 10:27 AM on September 17 [1 favorite]

Ignore the brain weasels, the postcards are fine!

I got a set of postcards with no print on the back so I wrote a big chunk of them upside-down. I am still cringing, but: they're fine. An imperfect reminder is still a reminder.
posted by mersen at 10:34 AM on September 17 [4 favorites]

Well, everyone receiving the postcards is going to be at least seventeen, right? I would bet that almost all of the recipients can read cursive. It looks like cursive was dropped from the curriculum in 2010, so if we assume that everyone five and younger in 2010 can't read cursive at all (which is unlikely), that would mean that people born in 2005 and up may not be able to read the postcards. That would mean that only people who are nineteen or younger might not be able to read it, and I bet that people who are eighteen or nineteen can mostly read it.

Also, I imagine that you wrote relatively carefully in clear letters, making your cursive more similar to cursive fonts on the internet. A lot of times when people have trouble with cursive it's because the cursive is in an older style or else scribbled. I remember before I learned to read it and the stuff I had real trouble with was very old style in spidery letters in very thin lines.

And look, you can send more postcards, right? So these weren't perfect, so what? I personally have trouble learning how to do things until I've screwed up one batch/lot/submission; it's like I need the screwing up to really understand the process.

I'd send these with a clear conscience, knowing that most if not all of them will do their work.
posted by Frowner at 10:45 AM on September 17

Hey, there. Breathe. It’s okay.
posted by Alterscape at 10:52 AM on September 17

One more vote here for it’s fine, you didn’t botch the postcards! One of my kids hasn’t learned cursive yet and they are mostly able to accurately read Parker-ish cursive. If your postcard arrives to someone who can’t read cursive, they might ask another person to interpret — which means your postcard’s message will reach more than one person. You’re doing a very good thing, don’t be so hard on yourself!
posted by stowaway at 10:55 AM on September 17 [4 favorites]

I have occasionally received junk mail written in cursive. I assume the idea is that people will be intrigued to read it. Your postcards may benefit from this effect. I’d just send them.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 11:32 AM on September 17 [1 favorite]

I've been doing postcards for GOTV since 2016 and my organization never told us we couldn't write in cursive. All of mine have gone out in cursive. This is not a big deal. Just mail them.
posted by Countess Sandwich at 11:34 AM on September 17 [1 favorite]

Another point in "it's fine" -- my fourteen year old can read cursive, and she is dyslexic. You're doing great!
posted by redfoxtail at 11:41 AM on September 17

It’s not that kids can’t read cursive, it’s that they’re more likely to TikTok scroll quickly and cursive takes an extra half-second for them to read, so they’re more likely to scroll.

You’re sending a hand-written postcard, an absolute treasure of an oddity in this day. Plus, no scrolling possibility! You should send it and assume the cursive actually takes them an extra beat to read, AND that that’s a GOOD thing because it keeps the card in their fingers longer! Thanks for doing this!
posted by samthemander at 11:42 AM on September 17

I have a 21 year old and I’m here to vouch that even when voting age folks can’t write cursive and weren’t taught it in school, they can generally still read it. You’ve done great work! Go ahead and send with pride!
posted by jeoc at 12:07 PM on September 17

If you’re like me, your cursive is more legible than your printing.

If you’re like me, any attempts you make to “fix” it (especially while in a shame frenzy) will make it worse. (Ripped stamps, recipients being confused by a pasted-over message, typo in the typed message, glue disasters, give up halfway through because you’re exhausted and forget to send them til after the election etc.)

You’re a volunteer, you do not have to be up to professional standards. Most of the volunteers screwed something up too or didn’t do them at all. Because people aren’t perfect. If these reach some recipients and they engage with them enough to have an opinion about cursive you’ve done a lot to gotv.
posted by kapers at 12:48 PM on September 17 [3 favorites]

It's been my observation that young adults can read cursive, they just can't write it. Don't worry about it.
posted by JanetLand at 1:52 PM on September 17 [1 favorite]

Aside from everything else, I hope your appointment goes well today! You deserve to get what your body needs and I hope you are listened to and your experiences are honored.

In writing terms: you are totally okay, but please continue to handwrite!

Instead of postcards, I am doing batches of 20 letters to voters at a time through Vote Forward, which provides writers with a half-completed template, and the need for me to complete them at a reasonable speed makes me use a cursive-ish script that is quick to write and which is also the same script I use in letters and cards to everyone else in my life, even kids. I have put the thought of editing the way I write out of my mind, then, in the interest of reaching as many folks as possible.

To me, the personal, handwritten, and indeed by definition imperfect aesthetic of your message, however your handwriting looks, is just as important as the message you write. What makes this kind of postcard-writing and letter-writing work is that the recipient, to their surprise and with no effort on their part, is shaken out of the powerlessness of feeling like a drop in a political ocean whose vote counts for less than nothing. Have I made some misspellings? Almost certainly. Have I had to use correction tape? Absolutely. But no one who gets a Vote Forward letter from me is going to be confused about why I wrote or why I hope they choose to register or vote. It is the humanity in my writing’s presence in their hand, the tactility of feeling the impressions my pen made on the page, even the tearing of the envelope and the noticing of the particular stamp I chose that remind the recipient that the writer is simply doing their best just like them.

Handwritten mail from an actual person is so rare for so many these days; please know that your postcards are being posted on fridges, shared with kids, shown to neighbors, posted on social media. Your efforts really do matter in political terms, of course, but I can see how the act of writing to someone you’ve never met, perhaps about things that matter to you deeply, carries a sense of intimidating gravity. The good news is that your work is also binding us together into a people who see voting as something that brings us joy. Forgive yourself and keep writing.

Thank you for doing what you can to protect our democracy! Writers like us make the difference between exclusion and participation for so many of our fellow citizens.
posted by mdonley at 2:40 PM on September 17 [2 favorites]

I am also doing postcards to voters. I have never been good at cursive but my regular handwriting is also a bit of a mess. I do lots of connected ligatures, I’m in the age range where I was taught cursive for like three years and then it was dropped and never spoke of again, I also moved cross country before third grade, nobody ever corrected how badly I held my pencil… but! I’ve hand written a ton of things and everyone is always able to read it, given a bit of context.

The way I write, the lowercase r and lowercase v is very similar. So imagine how the words vote and private look! “Who you rote for is pvirate, but whether you rote is public vecovd” But! In context it is all quite readable. It’s okay because the reader can figure it out. First of all the front of the postcard has a big “Ohio Votes Tuesday, Nov 5” on it. So even if the “please vote in the tues. nov 5 election!” sentence I wrote is hard to read, the recipient can get that information. Second, it’s a handwritten postcard from an unknown person - that is going to make the recipient spend a lot longer pondering it, and therefor they will put together the context clues. Third, a huge number of these people are older citizens who have had a lot more experience reading handwriting over the decades and won’t have any trouble. Fourth, this year I am doing 300 cards, so if a handful are illegible that’s okay in the scheme of things.

Please don’t waste time printings and gluing and steaming and worrying. Most people can read a bit of cursive and even if they can’t, the postcard fronts have the important info on them - election date, url for voting info, and the postcard as a whole makes it notable to the recipient, not so much the exact message. On the contrary, a glued together typed out message would look manufactured and less personal and be more likely to be thrown out with other junk mail. You are totally okay and you should mail them on the instructed mailing date and that’s that.

As for your emotional state, clearly you were triggered by something. I suspect you latched onto the postcard thing because of some slight connection and now it’s all tangled up. It’s excellent that you’ve got someone to help you untangle things a bit. Maybe another thing you can practice is, when you next get stuck on an idea that would be a lot of work and ruin previous things you’d done, to be able to pause on it for at least a day and practice checking in with others before taking that action.

For example, I crochet and sometimes when I’m annoyed at messing up a stitch I have been known to unravel nearly finished sweaters. Then that’s a month of work down the drain because I wasn’t absolutely perfect or had magical foreknowledge. I’ve gotten a lot better at not doing this over the years. Now I unravel things sometimes, but I also have learned ways to camouflage mistakes, work them into the piece, and adjust my future work to accommodate the issue. I’ve also learned that when I want to unravel a big chunk of my work I need to just put it down instead and go do something else and come back another day. Perfectionism is a struggle, no matter your neurotype (though audhd seems the most likely for me, too.)

So for you, practicing making a mistake and walking away from it and not tumbling into a bunch of trauma flashbacks is probably something to consciously work on, both with a therapist and on your own. In the scheme of things, these postcards are pretty small. I don’t know how many you signed up to write, but chances are high that a lot of the recipients are older and can read cursive just fine, and most people aren’t going to be swayed anyway. So if you overlap those things, I bet the effectiveness of your postcards will, on average, be about as much as someone else who has perfectly legible bubbly print handwriting. That means this is a really good time to focus on your own internal reactions and coping skills, because your work is still complete and your time has not been a waste.
posted by Mizu at 4:11 PM on September 17 [3 favorites]

Be gentle with yourself-it’s guidance, and it’s your first effort - let the postcards fly out into the world as-is, as it’s your best, good labor. We all show up differently, so your cursive carries the message. If you have more, finish in a way that serves you, whether that’s print or cursive, and if you did (like me) all of the addresses first, USPS will read you just fine.

Take some deep breaths and pat yourself on the back for having a solid start, and do something soothing for yourself - Your efforts are appreciated-know that there are gifts in imperfection :)
posted by childofTethys at 6:00 PM on September 17

Let me add to the vote to just send as is. Writing in print may be a “best practice,” (according to some), but writing in cursive is a “good enough” practice.

I think you are significantly underestimating the probability that someone in the house hold can read the message. Plus the front of the card is a reminder in itself.
posted by oceano at 6:38 PM on September 17

Another vote for send them as-is! And thank you!

(Also, Postcards to Voters specifically says do not use the printout-and-paste method you mentioned as a solution.)
posted by evilmomlady at 6:58 PM on September 17

Just send them in cursive. Young people will think "oh how quaint, an elderly person sent me a postcard!"
posted by Jacqueline at 10:14 PM on September 17

This whole “kids can’t read cursive” thing is overblown. My kids can read cursive, their friends can read cursive, kids can figure out pretty much anything they want to. Any ‘kid’ of voting age can read it just fine OR they will get the intent. Send them, you’re good.
posted by pearlybob at 3:17 AM on September 18 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thank you! all of your answers have meant more to me than you know! I am reassured and I feel like I'm making a difference. Going forward I'll be using handwritten non-cursive but I will still send the cursive ones too! Thanks for all you guys are doing for the election too!
posted by Beethoven's Sith at 12:21 PM on September 18 [5 favorites]