Hacking the Electorate: How Campaigns Perceive Voters

by Eitan D. Hersh

Hacking the Electorate is the most comprehensive study to date about the consequences of campaigns using microtargeting databases to mobilize voters in elections. Eitan Hersh follows the trail from data to strategy to outcomes. Hersh argues that most of what campaigns know about voters comes from a core set of public records. States vary in the kinds of records they collect from voters – and these variations in data across the country mean that campaigns perceive voters differently in different areas. Consequently, the strategies of campaigns and the coalitions of voters who are mobilized fluctuate across the country because of the different ways campaigns perceive the electorate. Data policies influence campaigns, voters, and increasingly, public officials.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Political Science

270 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2015

Reviews

[José María · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too academic for my taste. Reads like a thesis. Didn't really brighten my subway rides.

[Eduardo Blasco · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about it. One the one hand, it is well-researched and has many interesting findings. On the other hand, it is dense, tedious and repetitive. I really liked the last chapter. Nonetheless, I believe it should have been an article and not a book.

[Andreas Jungherr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mandatory reading for anyone interested in data-driven campaigning.

[Akiva ꙮ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skimmed, mostly reading the intro, the conclusion, and bits of the chapters that jumped out at me. Very heavily academic; not that interesting as a non-academic reader, even though I literally work in political (union) data. Case against microtargeting was decent, the proposed solutions were weak. The book clearly wasn't written to make suggestions though, more to document what's currently happening and why.

Worthwhile tidbits:
- that voters with more data on them get more campaign contact (and thus have noticeably higher turnout rates)
- that Hersh mostly focuses on Dem data because the GOP wouldn't talk to him; he provides a couple ideas about why, but that he's an academic seems most likely.
- census and other public records as campaign tools and the feedback loops and bad incentives therein (I had forgotten that DC Mayor Gray got investigated for obtaining public housing records and merging them into his campaign database)

Appreciate the DCPL for having this. Gotta get it returned now. :)

[Lee Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tough reading but gives some insights in the ways A person's public records are used by political campaigns to target messages. The author is reporting from past election campaign practices using data distilled by two non-profit governmental commercial firms. These companies form profiles of individual voters that are not necessarily accurate. We have no way of knowing what is in our profile. We can not opt out either.

[Kayla Koerting · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last chapter sparked a lot of inspiration for my academic interests!

[Peter Nouhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book led me to change my thesis topic

One of the more important takeaways for me was how inadequate consumer data and social networks are at predicting voter behavior or getting people out to vote. I’m also more cynical about micro targeting practices. This is a great book - very compelling narrative.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

Quite informative overview about the current state of campaign data. It would be a good companion to The Victory Lab.