The Journal of Politics

Table of Contents - November 2003 - Volume 65, Issue 04  

Articles

Getting Out the Vote in Local Elections: Results from Six Door-to-Door Canvassing Experiments

Donald P. Greena1 c1, Alan S. Gerbera1 c2 and David W. Nickersona1 c3

a1 Yale University

Abstract

Prior to the November 6, 2001 elections, randomized voter mobilization experiments were conducted in Bridgeport, Columbus, Detroit, Minneapolis, Raleigh, and St. Paul. Names appearing on official lists of registered voters were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. A few days before Election Day, the treatment group received a face-to-face contact from a coalition of nonpartisan student and community organizations, encouraging them to vote. After the election, voter turnout records were used to compare turnout rates among people assigned to treatment and control groups. Consistent with the recent experimental results reported by Gerber and Green (2000b), the findings here indicate that face-to-face voter mobilization was effective in stimulating voter turnout across a wide spectrum of local elections.

(Online publication July 16 2002)

(Received October 09 2002)

Correspondence:

c1 Donald P. Green is A. Whitney Griswold Professor of political science and Director, Institution for Social and Policy Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8209 (donald.green@yale.edu).

c2 Alan S. Gerber is professor of political science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8209 (alan.gerber@yale.edu).

c3 David W. Nickerson is a Ph.D. candidate in political science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8209 (david.nickerson@yale.edu).