Want local officials to follow federal laws? Send them subtle messages.

Can state officials increase local officials’ compliance with federal laws using subtle messages or hints?
 
Background
​
There are federal laws requiring voter registration to be available at certain government agencies, but many counties do not follow these laws.  The experiment involved two states.  In one state the timing of the training of local government employees was randomly changed.  In the other state the content of e-mails sent by the election office to certain agencies was randomly changed.
 
Results 

• Both experiments increased voter registration attempts.
• This happened in agencies and offices that were already trying to register people
• These subtle messages, through email and training, can cause improvement for some agencies but probably not for the offices that need it the most.

 
Link to Study