The Effects of Canvassing, Telephone Calls, and Direct Mail on Voter Turnout: A Field Experiment

TLDR

The study randomized about 30,000 New Haven voters to receive nonpartisan get‑out‑the‑vote messages via personal canvassing, direct mail, or telephone calls shortly before the November 1998 election, using a variety of substantive messages. Canvassing raised turnout substantially, direct mail had a modest effect, and telephone calls had none, confirming that reduced face‑to‑face mobilization partly explains long‑term turnout retrenchment.

Abstract

We report the results of a randomized field experiment involving approximately 30,000 registered voters in New Haven, Connecticut. Nonpartisan get-out-the-vote messages were conveyed through personal canvassing, direct mail, and telephone calls shortly before the November 1998 election. A variety of substantive messages were used. Voter turnout was increased substantially by personal canvassing, slightly by direct mail, and not at all by telephone calls. These findings support our hypothesis that the long-term retrenchment in voter turnout is partly attributable to the decline in face-to-face political mobilization.