Voter invitation card
A voter invitation card, or voter notification card, or notice of election card, is an informational leaflet, usually of the size of a postcard, which requests voters to attend the elections and which generally contains information regarding elections, place and time of voting, and contact details of the electoral commission. Having certain artistic and undoubtedly historic merits, invitations to vote are collectibles.
By country
France
In France, the voter invitation card also serves as a certificate that the voter is registered on the Electoral roll, and are intended to be kept and used for multiple election cycles.
Until 1993, French voter invitation cards were titled as "CARTE D'ÉLECTEUR". Starting with the 1994 European Parliament election in France, voter invitation cards are titled using the gender-neutral "CARTE ÉLECTORALE". This was done in response to the demands of women's movements, which requested titling voter invitation cards separately by the invitee's gender ("CARTE D'ÉLECTEUR" for men and "CARTE D'ÉLECTRICE" for women), despite a recommendation by the Académie française to continue titling all voter invitation cards as "CARTE D'ÉLECTEUR".
USSR
The USSR voter cards are often called "All come to vote" cards (Russian: "открытки «Все на выборы»") because during the Soviet Union period they inevitably carried an inscription, a slogan "All come to vote". One side of such voter invitation cards usually was artistically illustrated, while the other (reverse) side contained information. The text on such voter cards during the Soviet time carried invariable components: words "Dear comrade _____________. Please be reminded that on Sunday …"; and an appeal to come and vote for candidates of the electoral bloc of communists and independents. Voter invitation cards were sent on behalf of "trustee persons of the constituency election campaign conference of workers' representatives", campaign team, and were always characterized by electoral campaign propaganda, requesting to vote for the candidates of the electoral bloc of communists and independents.
Russian Federation
In Russia voter invitation cards are no longer electoral campaign propaganda. Their function is only to inform of elections, time of voting and location of the polling station, and more often than not contain only text without any images.
External references
- Come One, Come All to Vote...
- A. Savelieva. Vote. (Савельева А. А. Отдай голос.) in Russian
- All Russian voters will be sent two voter invitation cards for the Duma elections (Все российские избиратели получат по два приглашения на думские выборы). in Russian
- Invitations for Kids Party
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