Join us in Portola Valley on Thursday, March 18, for our book club. We will discuss Party at the Ballot Box by Melissa R. Michelson, Stephanie L. DeMora , and Sarah V. Hayes.

Location details will be provided upon RSVP.

Party at the Ballot Box

Mobilizing Black Women Voters

How the Party at the Mailbox efforts in 2020-2024, led by Black Girls Vote, used celebrations of community to increase voter turnout

Black voters continue to transform America’s electoral landscape and can play a powerful role in shaping election outcomes. In Party at the Ballot Box, Melissa R. Michelson, Stephanie L. DeMora, and Sarah V. Hayes explore the impact of celebratory voter mobilization campaigns led by Black-led organizations on Black turnout, particularly as more states embrace voting by mail.

Focusing on the Party at the Mailbox (PATM) initiative, coordinated by Black Girls Vote, Michelson, DeMora, and Hayes underscore what, exactly, motivates Black voters to show up to the polls. Using community-based informational and celebratory materials and a mixed-methods approach that includes randomized controlled trials, surveys, interviews, and focus groups, they show how the PATM pilot increased Black turnout in Baltimore by double digits in the 2020 primaries. Despite voting by mail while sheltering in place, PATM made voters feel part of something bigger than themselves—voting as a community. The successful pilot led to further PATM efforts in Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, Richmond, and Philadelphia between November 2020 and November 2024.

Ultimately, the authors argue that Black Americans vote as a celebration of community, and that cultivating that sense of community is an effective way to increase Black voter turnout. With a foreword by Nykidra Robinson, founder of Black Girls Vote, Party at the Ballot Box provides insights into Black voter turnout and its larger implications.