
Recovery Voices Count
With the conclusion of the 2020 election cycle, it became more clear that we need to include the Faces & Voices of Recovery at all levels of campaigning. It is in our hands, and those of our community, to help those running for office understand the significance of substance use disorders and support the wide range of recovery efforts across America.
Take Action Today
The suggestions that follow are intended to complement formal, larger-scale efforts you may have underway, such as voter registration projects or structured get-out-the-vote programs.
The ideas in the Advocacy Toolkit are a series of very practical initiatives, tactics, and messages that you can act on right away. They are a mix of activities that will help you build a constant presence, and help you expand your network of recovery advocates.
It is important to lift all voices in advocacy efforts. Access to voting is a constitutional guarantee and should be openly available. For Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other marginalized communities, this ideal has been abridged, suppressed, and in some cases threatened with violence. For many involved with the criminal justice system, information about restoring the right to vote for individuals with felony convictions is overly complex and varies from state to state. As advocates, we are compelled to support and engage in the free and fair electoral process and make sure all voices are heard.
Action Resources
Action Steps
Communications Tactics

Action Resource
Identify Recovery Allies
Expanding your network is vital. Each member of your Cluster should identify five people you know who are aware of your role in the recovery world but who themselves are not part of it. Reach out to them periodically over the next seven weeks. Remind them that recovery from substance use disorders benefits the entire community.

Action Step
Key Dates Card
As soon as possible, every state should develop a simple “Key Dates” card that identifies all the deadlines for:
- Mail-in ballot applications
- Mail-in voting
- Absentee ballots (where different)
- Early voting dates
While you may not be able to distribute the cards as you normally would, they should be featured on your website and be regularly distributed through social media. Each card should include your state election board’s website.
For key dates in your state, visit rockthevote.org/how-to-vote and usvotefoundation.org

Action Step
Acknowledge the Role of COVID-19
As you think about advocacy work, the implications of the COVID pandemic must be foremost in your mind.
The implications are primarily two-fold: one, many standard, in-person campaign activities simply can’t happen, or are too difficult and cumbersome to execute even if they are permissible.
Two, as you know, the pandemic is adversely affecting both addiction and recovery. Your communications must acknowledge this painful fact where appropriate.

Communications Tactic
Call-In Radio
Most media markets have at least one news-talk radio program that features listener call-ins. Take advantage of them. Research your stations and their procedures for call-ins, start listening, and pick up the phone! And remember, the topic doesn’t have to be recovery – if the host is talking about Election 2020, then Recovery Voices Count!
Communications Tactic
Social Media Connections
To truly make recovery voices count, we must connect with as many related voices as possible. That means taking time to respond to and share social media content from sources ranging from mental health to racial equity.
In an election season, it’s critical to connect with the entire community. Given our country’s legacy of oppression and marginalization specifically around the right to vote, it is important to reach out to all facets of the community. Follow them on Twitter. Post to their sites. Share their information. Cross-post between platforms.
It’s critical to remember the wide range of diverse advocates you can connect with, and these groups are usually simple to find via a google search, but some simple examples of local chapter groups and communities are: