Texting Our Way to the Polls, Three Friends at a Time
"“What three friends would you like to hold accountable on Election Day?”"
It’s three weeks until Election Day, and you are an active voter speaking to a civically engaged behavioral scientist. You provide the first name of three friends – Sam, Alex, and Jamie – and provide your cell phone number. The behavioral scientist thanks you, and says, “You’ll hear from me right before Election Day”. By doing this, you have just participated in one of the first attempts to use behavioral science to motivate voter turnout.
This new “Get Out The Vote” (GOTV) tactic utilizes three behavioral science strategies to increase voter turnout, and evidence suggests that they significantly increase polling numbers. Political campaigners however are struggling to catch on. Through text reminders, implementation intentions, and social influence, campaigners can build on behavioral science research and shape a new generation of civic engagement. In this article, I will explain how.
References
[1] Dale, A., & Strauss, A. (2009). Don’t Forget to Vote: Text Message Reminders as a Mobilization Tool. American Journal of Political Science, 53(4), 787-804. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/20647951
[2] Gerber, A., Green, D., & Larimer, C. (2008). Social Pressure and Voter Turnout: Evidence from a Large-Scale Field Experiment. American Political Science Review, 102(1), 33-48. DOI:10.1017/S000305540808009X
[3] Gerber, A., & Green, D. (2000). The Effects of Canvassing, Telephone Calls, and Direct Mail on Voter Turnout: A Field Experiment. The American Political Science Review, 94(3), 653-663. DOI: 10.2307/2585837
[4] Nickerson, D., & Rogers, T. (2010). Do You Have a Voting Plan? : Implementation Intentions, Voter Turnout, and Organic Plan Making. Psychological Science, 21(2), 194-199. DOI: 10.1177/0956797609359326
About the Author
Ilana Brody
Ilana Brody has a BA in Psychology and Economics from the University of Virginia. In school, she researched social behavior, and her thesis studied barriers to long-term goal pursuit. Ilana hopes to apply behavioral science findings to public policy to address social problems. She currently works for a social and economic policy think tank in Washington, D.C.
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