Get out the vote! : how to increase voter turnout / Donald P. Green, Alan S. Gerber.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Green, Donald P., 1961-

Contributor:

Gerber, Alan S.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political campaigns--United States.

Political campaigns.

United States.

Campaign management--United States.

Campaign management.

Voting--United States.

Voting.

Physical Description:

ix, 145 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : Brookings Institution Press, [2004]

Summary:

Get Out The Vote! is a practical guide for anyone trying to mobilize voters or organize at the grass roots. Unlike authors of other campaign advice books, Donald Green and Alan Gerber root their work firmly in rigorous science. Their recommendations emerge from thorough experiments conducted in real electoral settings, examining the impact and effectiveness of door-to-door canvassing, telephone calls, direct mail, and other campaign tactics. Since 1998 the authors have conducted research in over a dozen states, studying a wide range of federal, state, and municipal elections. Their book connects theory with practice, informing campaign professionals and local organizers as well as students of electoral politics. They discover that many GOTV tactics used by campaign managers and political consultants are less effective than is often believed. The authors, relying on rigorous and systematic research, challenge much of the conventional wisdom about what works and what doesn't in political campaigns. The authors' applied form of political science has won acclaim from scholars and earned the attention of campaign professionals and journalists. This book presents their results for a non-academic audience interested in putting campaign research into practice, and the findings will be surprising to many. Get Out The Vote! will help both consultants and the candidates who use their services better understand the efficacy of campaign methods. It is essential reading in an age of electronic communication, professional electioneering, and voter apathy.

Contents:

Why voter mobilization matters

Evidence versus received wisdom

Door-to-door canvassing : shoe leather politics

Leaflets : walk, don't talk

Direct mail : postal service as campaign staff

Phone banks : politics meets telemarketing

Electronic mail : faster, cheaper, but does it work?

Frontiers of get-out-the-vote research.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0815732686

0815732694

OCLC:

54046461