Wisconsin Palm Cards

A palm card is the one thing a voter keeps after you leave the porch. If it's clear, it sits on the counter and keeps saying your name for days. If it's cluttered, it goes in the trash before you reach the next house.

Tony RuffiOct 14, 202611 min read

Add as a preferred source on Google

This guide covers what a palm card is, how big to make it, what goes on the front and the back, and the Wisconsin "Paid for by" line. By the end, you'll also know where you can't hand them out and what to check before you print.

What is a palm card, and does your Wisconsin campaign need one?

A palm card is a small printed card you hand to a voter, small enough to hold in one palm. It's also called a push card, because you push it into a hand. It has your name, the office and one reason to vote for you. You don't need one by law, but most campaigns that knock doors use one.

A push card and a palm card are the same thing. Some campaigns also use a door hanger, which is a card with a hole so it hangs on the doorknob. We cover both in this article, since you print them the same way and they follow the same rules. If you haven't built your door plan yet, start with our Wisconsin door knocking script.

How big should a palm card be?

Small enough to hold in one hand and slide in a pocket. Wisconsin has no rule on card size, so this is a matter of habit, not law. In our field work, most cards are about the size of a postcard, or a long, slim card that fits in a back pocket. Pick the size you can carry a big stack of without a bag.

Size does matter in one way, and that's the "Paid for by" line, which we cover below. Big enough to read is the goal. A small card has less room, so every word has to earn its spot.

The sizes above are what we see in the field, and not a rule or a printer's standard. Ask your printer which sizes they print without extra charge before you design anything.

What goes on the front of a palm card?

Your name, the office you want and a clear photo of your face. Make your name the biggest thing on the card. Put the office right under it, in plain words, like "for School Board." Add your campaign colors and logo, but leave out the rest. The front has one job, and that's to be remembered.

Here's what we put on the front of every card:

1. Your name, big. A voter should be able to read it from arm's length in a second.
2. The office, in plain words. "For Village Board" says more than a fancy title.
3. One clear photo. Look at the camera and smile like you mean it. A close-up, not a crowd.
4. A short line, if you have one. Our article on Wisconsin campaign slogans shows how to pick one. A few words beat a sentence.
5. The same colors & fonts as your signs. A voter who sees your sign and then your card should feel like they've seen you before.

That last point is the one candidates skip. The card, the sign and the website should look like they came from the same person. Our yard sign article has more on picking colors you can live with for the whole race.

What goes on the back?

Two or three short points, a way to reach you and the required line. The back is for the voter who flips the card over, so give them a reason to keep it. Say who you are, what you'll work on and how to find you. Leave white space, because a crowded back looks like homework.

Here's a plan for the back:

• Who you are, in one sentence. Your job, your street or your years in town. Something a neighbor would say.
• Two or three things you'll work on. One short line each, in everyday words. No big paragraphs.
• How to reach you. Your website and a phone number or the social page you check. If you built a site from our campaign website checklist, put its address here.
• Election day & office. The date, the office and, if you can, where to vote. Check the date with your clerk before you print it.
• The "Paid for by" line. At the bottom, in the right type. We cover it next.

If the voter reads only one line on the back, what should it be? Put that one first.

What does a good palm card look like?

It looks like one clear idea. A voter sees a name, an office, a face and a short reason, and gets it in a few seconds. Here are three layouts we use, shown as plain text so you can see the order. The names are made up, so use your own.

Which one fits? It depends on your race. If voters don't know you, use the introduction. If you're well known in a small town, the neighbor card sounds like you. If the election is close, the ask puts the date in their hand.

In 2024, Brent Jacobson won a State Assembly seat with 66% in a district that was brand new. Most voters had never seen his name before. In a race like that, every piece you hand out has to introduce you. You can read more in our Jacobson case study.

Where does the “Paid for by” line go on a palm card?

At the bottom, in plain type. Wisconsin law says a printed handbill with a message that urges a vote has to clearly show who paid for it. For a candidate, that means the words "Paid for by" and your committee's name. Your committee is the campaign group you register with your clerk. That's Wis. Stat. § 11.1303.

Here's what the state's rule says about the line, in plain words:

• The words: "Paid for by," then your committee's name. You may add your treasurer's name.
• No shortcuts: don't abbreviate your committee's name.
• The type: a plain, sans-serif font, which means letters without little feet.
• The size: on anything up to 8.5 by 11 inches, at least 10-point type counts as easy to read. A palm card is well under that.
• The color: black on white, or a color that stands out at least as much as your biggest words.

Those details come from the Ethics Commission's rule, Wis. Admin. Code ETH 1.96. The rule calls them "prima facie evidence," which means a card that meets them is presumed to be readable. They aren't the only way to comply, but they're the safest. The rule also lists items that don't need the line, like business cards and buttons. A palm card isn't on that list, so we don't count on it.

For example: "Paid for by Jane Doe for School Board." Put it on every card, even the ones where you're not sure it's needed. Voters look for it, and a missing line can't be fixed after you print. Our full article on Wisconsin "paid for by" rules has the rest, including what other items need.

Where can you hand out palm cards, and where can't you?

Almost anywhere people are, except near the polls on election day. Wisconsin law bars electioneering on public property within 100 feet of an entrance to a building with a polling place while the polls are open. Electioneering is any activity meant to influence how people vote, and handing out a card to sway a vote fits that. Same for the clerk's office while people can cast absentee ballots.

That's in Wis. Stat. § 12.03. The same law lets a municipal clerk, an election inspector or a police officer remove posters or other advertising placed against the rule. The law also bars electioneering at the polling place itself.

Here are good places to hand out cards before election day:

• At the door, which is the best place, since you can say a sentence with it
• Community events, like a fair, a parade or a school game, with the host's OK
• Your supporters' hands, so they can give a card to a neighbor or a coworker
• Meetings you attend, if the host allows it

Before election day, walk each polling place for your race and note the doors. We're reading the law in plain words here, and it's not legal advice, so ask your clerk exactly where the line sits at each location.

How do you use a palm card at the door?

Hand it over as you finish, not as you start. Say your name, say what you're running for, ask what matters to the voter and listen. Then give them the card and say, "My name and website are on here." If no one is home, hang the card on the door handle. Never put it in the mailbox.

The mailbox rule is federal law. 18 U.S.C. § 1725 sets a fine for putting mail without postage into a box made for mail, with intent to avoid the postage. A card with no stamp is not worth the risk, so hang it on the door handle or tuck it into the door frame.

A few tips from the field:

• Hand it, don't push it. Wait for the hand to come up.
• Write on it. If a voter tells you what matters to them, jot "Thanks, Ann" on the card and hand it over. It goes from a flyer to a note.
• Mark your walk sheet, a list of addresses with a note for each, the moment you leave a card.
• Carry more than you think. Running out on a good street hurts.

Here's what we've seen work best: put everything in plain English. Many campaigns also print the Badger and Packer game schedules on the card. It's a smart move because the card is something a voter will actually look at and use. Where people go wrong is too many words. If you wouldn't read all that, a voter won't either. Most people see political papers as junk, so they have no reason to care about yours until you give them one. Make the card interesting, make it worth their time and give them real value. That's how it stands out from all the other political papers they'll get.

What do campaigns get wrong with palm cards?

They cram too much on the card, pick a hard-to-read photo and forget the required line. They also print thousands before anyone proofreads. Most of these slips are free to avoid, but they cost real money once the cards are cut and boxed.

Here's the list we watch for:

1. Too many words. If a voter needs glasses to read it, it's too much. Cut a line, then cut another.
2. A photo that's far away or dark. A voter should see your face in a second.
3. A typo in the website address. Type the address into a phone before you print. Have two other people check it.
4. No "Paid for by" line, or one that's too small to read.
5. A card that doesn't match the sign. Different colors on the sign and the card look like two campaigns.
6. The wrong date. Check election day against your clerk's calendar.
7. A giant first order. Order a small batch first, hand a few out and fix what you learn before you order the rest.

A card should also tell voters one thing you'd want them to remember. If you can't say it in a sentence, the card isn't ready.

Test the card on three people before you print

Show your draft to three people who don't know your race. Give each one five seconds with the front, then take it back and ask what they saw. If they can say your name and the office, the front works. If they can't, cut something. Then flip it and ask the same for the back.

Do that before you send anything to a printer, and again with the proof you get back. It costs nothing and it catches nearly every mistake on this page.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules change and some towns have their own. Confirm what applies to you with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission for the "Paid for by" line, and with your clerk for polling places and door-to-door rules.

Want a second set of eyes on your card before it goes to print? Our consulting team helps candidates at every level, from school board to Congress & governor, with logos, colors and cards that match their signs and website. The first conversation is free.

Fact-checked October 13, 2026 against Wis. Stat. §§ 11.1303 and 12.03, Wis. Admin. Code ETH 1.96, the Wisconsin Ethics Commission attribution page and 18 U.S.C. § 1725.