How Campaign Finance Reform Can Increase Voter Turnout

Low voter turnout is a noteworthy challenge in United States politics. In recent years, the United States has ranked nearly the lowest in voter turnout among developed nations.¹ The Decision Lab’s Sanketh Andhavarapu previously explored some of the cognitive biases that may influence voting behavior and argued that traditional “get out the vote” (GOTV) campaigns may fail to mitigate their negative outcomes. 

GOTV campaigns are all about telling voters that their voices matter. But polling suggests^2,3 voters believe private money and big interests have more power over election outcomes than ordinary citizens do. 

In an effort to address these concerns, in 2017, Seattle became the first U.S. city to utilize a campaign finance system called Democracy Vouchers, in which all residents are issued four $25 vouchers to donate to political candidates in local races. In order to be eligible to receive voucher donations, candidates needed to abide by certain campaign criteria, including limiting large campaign contributions and participating in public debates.⁴ 

Early results from the program were promising: Voter turnout in Seattle’s first two election cycles where Democracy Vouchers were used was 10% higher than in the two election cycles prior to the launch of the program.⁵ Behavioral science can help explain why this campaign finance reform gets more people to the polls, and provide valuable insights about how else we can address low voter turnout.