Campaigns should increase their contact with voters to increase turnout.

Can contact with a campaign increase voter turnout?
 
Background
 
There are a lot of studies on campaigns but there haven’t been many conclusions on how effective campaign efforts are in politics.  In 2006, in California’s 44th District, there was a local State Assembly seat open.  Democratic activists wanted to get voters to the polls.  They used a variety of methods to contact citizens: phone, email, door hanger, face-to-face contact, and other forms of contact.  Using this natural experiment political scientists determined the effect of campaign contact on voter turnout.
 
Results
 

• This campaign increased voter turnout by around 850 votes.
• It was effective in increasing turnout among newly registered voters.
• It was also effective in increasing turnout with voters with a variety of voting histories.
• Campaign managers can make reasonable choices to increase voter turnout.

 
Link to Study
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