For Northern Nevada printer, trashing campaign mailers means they’re still working – The Nevada Independent

In an age where more and more aspects of life are becoming paperless, there’s one paper product that remains as ubiquitous as ever — the election mailer.

Mailboxes are bursting at the seams with beautifully posed portraits and glossy postcards of politicians and their platforms. These biennial appeals for attention keep campaigns coming back for more.

“I mean, I print this stuff. My mailbox is just as full as yours and everyone else’s,” said Kurt Hoge, President of Reno Type, which produces election mail in Northern Nevada. “I take it straight to the garbage as well.”

Hoge said that as you keep returning the same candidate’s card to the garbage, your name recognition will increase. If it’s a well-done campaign, your message might even resonate with potential voters.

The internet’s early days are the best time to predict the end of direct mail campaigns. In 1995, Mark Mellman, a pollster, conducted a study. The Nevada Independent,  suggested that direct mail was on the way out. 

In 2007, however, Mellman and Charles Pruitt concluded that direct mail would still be a good option for at most 10 years.

And it appears that President Barack Obama’s campaign proved them right, raising $230 million through direct mail, according to a PowerPoint presentation obtained by Politico.

Mellman also shared his story Philanthropy.com that voters who respond to digital campaigns often don’t respond to direct mail, and vice versa. Reno Type has capitalized upon this dynamic by offering a companion digital product in addition to printed mailers.

Hoge stated that his company expects to have 60-70 jobs pending outside of election season. However, just a month before the election it had 184. October is also open enrollment to health insurers, who are major clients for the printing shop. Hoge explained that many of those jobs are for election mailers.

One of the most unique aspects about political mailers, is the turnaround time. 

It’s all about speed “because everything is reactionary,” Hoge said, explaining campaigns’ strategy: “This campaign did a hit piece on me. Now, I have to respond to this hit piece with either my own hit piece or my own refutal. And it has to be in the mail by the next day.”

There are also regulations that govern political messaging via the mail. These regulations are mostly designed to ensure the U.S. The Postal Service (USPS), is not viewed as favoring any candidate. Totes containing campaign postcards must have tags. Printing companies must also provide samples of each mailer for USPS records.

Most of Reno Type’s political jobs are for candidates in the greater Reno area, but Hoge said the company has also printed material for candidates in statewide races. The two main products are the postcards and the walk cards that are given out during canvassing.

Hoge said that although Reno Type’s paper waste is all recyclable, he finds some of its rules frustrating. Paper clippings and misprints produced in the shop are classified as “pre-consumer,” meaning it costs money to have it hauled away. Identical items after they have been mailed out are labeled “post-consumer.”

“It’s the same product,” Hoge said. “We pay to take it and get it recycled. If it were post-consumer waste, they would pay us for it.”

Under Hoge’s directive, Reno Type unionized in 2019, becoming members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Although there are many union printing shops in Las Vegas and Northern Nevada, Reno Type is the only one.

“The power of unions isn’t the money that they donate to candidates,” Hoge said. “It’s the people on the ground who are members of unions who will knock on doors and walk the streets.”

A union “bug” is a tiny icon that certifies a product was produced by union labor. Before 2019, local campaigns that wanted a union “bug” on their material would have to look elsewhere and ship them in, adding days of lag time to one the most time-sensitive types of printing. 

Hoge stated that organization is key to keeping up with election season’s increased workload. David Worthen, Hoge’s production manager, is responsible for keeping everything running smoothly. 

Worthen has been a Reno Type employee for 26 years. He began his career as a delivery driver. When the print shop’s only industrial cutter broke down in the middle of a hectic election season, he was able to use the relationships he’d built over the years to keep paper flowing.

“It’s controlled chaos, but yes, I do like it,” said Worthen. “The friendships that come out of chaos, the people I work with … they’re my favorite part.”