Teaching voters new tricks: The effect of partisan absentee vote-by-mail get-out-the-vote efforts

In the last few years policy innovators have implemented a variety of new voting reforms aimed at increasing the ways voters can cast their ballot and with it voter turnout. While these efforts have largely suggested that the net effect of these reforms has been minimal, scholars have not analyzed t...

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Main Author: Hans J.G. Hassell
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2017-02-01
Series:Research & Politics
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/2053168017694806
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author Hans J.G. Hassell
author_facet Hans J.G. Hassell
author_sort Hans J.G. Hassell
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description In the last few years policy innovators have implemented a variety of new voting reforms aimed at increasing the ways voters can cast their ballot and with it voter turnout. While these efforts have largely suggested that the net effect of these reforms has been minimal, scholars have not analyzed the effectiveness of the use of these methods by partisan campaigns to increase targeted turnout or to change the methods voters use to cast their ballot. In collaboration with a state party organization, I examine the effect of a partisan get-out-the-vote effort using an absentee vote-by-mail push. I find that these get-out-the-vote efforts to target voters using absentee ballot request forms are effective at shifting more voters to vote absentee. However, while pushing absentee vote-by-mail balloting may bank votes for a campaign before Election Day, the overall effect of partisan campaigns’ use of absentee ballot efforts to increase turnout appears limited.
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spelling doaj.art-9e2e57d916b34226a145162ec801777a2022-12-21T18:32:15ZengSAGE PublishingResearch & Politics2053-16802017-02-01410.1177/205316801769480610.1177_2053168017694806Teaching voters new tricks: The effect of partisan absentee vote-by-mail get-out-the-vote effortsHans J.G. HassellIn the last few years policy innovators have implemented a variety of new voting reforms aimed at increasing the ways voters can cast their ballot and with it voter turnout. While these efforts have largely suggested that the net effect of these reforms has been minimal, scholars have not analyzed the effectiveness of the use of these methods by partisan campaigns to increase targeted turnout or to change the methods voters use to cast their ballot. In collaboration with a state party organization, I examine the effect of a partisan get-out-the-vote effort using an absentee vote-by-mail push. I find that these get-out-the-vote efforts to target voters using absentee ballot request forms are effective at shifting more voters to vote absentee. However, while pushing absentee vote-by-mail balloting may bank votes for a campaign before Election Day, the overall effect of partisan campaigns’ use of absentee ballot efforts to increase turnout appears limited.https://doi.org/10.1177/2053168017694806
spellingShingle Hans J.G. Hassell
Teaching voters new tricks: The effect of partisan absentee vote-by-mail get-out-the-vote efforts
Research & Politics
title Teaching voters new tricks: The effect of partisan absentee vote-by-mail get-out-the-vote efforts
title_full Teaching voters new tricks: The effect of partisan absentee vote-by-mail get-out-the-vote efforts
title_fullStr Teaching voters new tricks: The effect of partisan absentee vote-by-mail get-out-the-vote efforts
title_full_unstemmed Teaching voters new tricks: The effect of partisan absentee vote-by-mail get-out-the-vote efforts
title_short Teaching voters new tricks: The effect of partisan absentee vote-by-mail get-out-the-vote efforts
title_sort teaching voters new tricks the effect of partisan absentee vote by mail get out the vote efforts
url https://doi.org/10.1177/2053168017694806
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