Get Out the Vote: How to Increase Voter Turnout

by Donald P. Green

The most important element in every election is getting voters to the polls—these get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts make the difference between winning and losing office. With the first three editions of Get Out the Vote, Donald P. Green and Alan S. Gerber broke ground by introducing a new scientific approach to the challenge of voter mobilization and profoundly transformed how campaigns operate. Get Out the Vote has become the reference text for those who manage campaigns and study voter mobilization. In this expanded and updated edition, Green and Gerber incorporate data from a trove of recent studies that shed new light on the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of various campaign tactics, including door-to-door canvassing, e-mail, direct mail, and telephone calls. The new edition gives special attention to “relational organizing” through friend-to-friend communication and events. Available in time for the 2020 presidential campaign, this practical guide to voter mobilization will again be a must-read for consultants, candidates, and grassroots organizations.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Activism, Political Science, Communication

253 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Cheryl Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top notch book for characterizing the return-on-investment of various campaigns. This book gives lots of supporting data on controlled experiments, to determine exactly how many voters you can gain versus number of people contacted. These experiments span door-to-door canvassing, mailings, phone banks of various types, and so forth. The rigor of this book is exceptional, which is very much appreciated for volunteer like me, with significant statistical background, in my efforts on get-out-the-vote campaigns.

[Carrie DeHaven · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good reference, but a bit dry. It was aimed at candidates and political campaigns, so it didn't have as much general information on increasing voter turnout as I would have liked. Still, there was solid information on what techniques have and have not worked.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

No wonder political campaigns are so expensive. Much of what they do has no real effect on voting and sometimes even a negative effect on turnout. Worse yet, people have hardly bothered to study it scientifically and instead rely on anecdotes and what they think "should" work. Going to make me even more annoyed next time I get a robocall...

[Erik André · Rating 5 out of 5]

Null yap og kødd for i denne boken er det bare facts som gjelder. Gutta holder det simpelt og konkret. Her får du vite hva som funker og ikke funker i å få folk ut til å stemme, og best av alt hvordan du kan gjøre det selv. Skulle virkelig ønske flere pensum bøker var slik.

[Tomasz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bardzo praktyczna i pragmatyczna, acz pytanie czy sprawdza się w innych krajach.

[ReadtoDeath · Rating 2 out of 5]

read

[Hatim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very technical, for better or for worse. Can't wait for a vilalous marketing major to get their hands on this... then we will all eb well and truly screwed.

[Katerina Ioannides · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive, digestible review of the effectiveness of various GOTV tactics - robocalls, mail and, of course, canvassing. Recommend reading during campaign season - I'm more motivated to knock on doors than ever.

I am fascinated with the research that shows turnout increases with social pressure. Particularly, the Gerber, Alan S., Donald P. Green & Christopher W. Larimer (2008) study that concludes that turnout is higher when people think whether they voted will be publicized to their neighbors. It's such a great a study. Basically - a treatment group received a "neighbors mailer" which reported that “WHO VOTES IS PUBLIC INFORMATION!” and presented a chart indicating whether each member of the household voted in two recent elections. Another treatment group also received a mailer neighbors” mailer, which included not only the voting records of those in the household but also their neighbors. Both of these had an enormous effect on turnout. The more social pressure a mailing exerted, the higher the turnout rate. I really want to see this study replicated on social media and/or do a campaign Instagramming people's voting history. #PoliticalMeanGirl

Again - really recommend reading this book if you're a political /campaign junkie. Yes, political science research - even when it is current -seems out of date but there's wisdom here (robocalls & yard signs don't really work)

[Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting yet very dry look at how to get out the vote (GOTV) as the cover says. It's an scientific and academic look at what works, what doesn't, plus the studies and sciences and stories that prove it to be so (or not). If you've never really thought about elections or are not familiar with the GOTV side of elections then you may find this is a very informative read.

The authors take us through the different types of GOTV, from the door to door to robocalls to social media to election day events. You learn what they are, the anecdotes and research. There's a breakdown of the costs, benefits, what's needed to implement such operations, etc.

Overall it was informative but I had hoped there would be more about how to be more efficient or a guide about getting out the vote. I'm mostly familiar with all the methods written about and I have some personal experience with what it's like to make calls to increase turnout (although not for voting on a political candidate). So while it was neat to see this laid out in a textbook-like format it also wasn't quite what I was looking for.

If you're someone who wants to learn more about it then it's definitely not a bad pickup. But if you've worked on campaigns or are familiar with GOTV this may not be a helpful guide. I borrowed this from the library and would recommend that would be the best unless you genuinely feel you need this for reference.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've seen about voter mobilization written by social scientists, rather than political consultants. They present their results of controlled, randomized experiments in determining the effect of canvassing, lit dropping, phone banking (and robo-calling), and direct mail on voter turnout.

The one criticism I have is that in some cases they seem to jump to some conclusions based on small amounts of evidence, including results that I really have a hard time believing (ie, there is no compouded effect by using different methods). The major conclusions, though, appear sound to me, such as the range of effectiveness that can be expected from canvassing or any other technique alone.

Overall, a book that I will be going back to for some projects, and one that would be useful for anyone working on political campaigns.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Data driven discussion of gotv and persuasion

Good review of the available data on issues that consume campaigns. A must read before you allocate your funds and volunteer hours. Just because an approach seems like a good idea does not mean it will be effective. My take away is that social connection and community involvement are key concepts to keep in mind as we look to future creative efforts to engage voters.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of us involved in field strategy know firsthand that a combination of name recognition and personal persuasion is the best way to get the job done. This is one of the only formal, grant-funded studies that I know of that comes to a somewhat scientific conclusion that supports what we already know. It's very short and worth a read, especially if you're unfamiliar with election strategy.

[Víctor · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those rare books that acknowledge (a lot of) experiments on GOTV tactics and electoral mobilization efforts. Green and Gerber apply strictly scientifict view on political campaign actions, a very plausible approach when it comes to a field filled with pseudo experts. Although some consider it a basic text, it can be too technical and overexplicative for the ordinary reader.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is truly a book about what methods work best to get people out to vote. If you are interested in using it as a book for helping with campaigning, it is not really the one for you. A lot of really interesting information in this book based upon a lot of field studies. The writer backs up his theory with a lot of practical research.

[Jonathan Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fact based GOTV analysis and recommendations

The authors deliver a compelling analysis of all approaches used to get people to the polls. The chapter 12 summary indicates that the very best approach is the oldest - door knocking - so precinct workers take heart and get to know your voters. The personal encounter at the front door is the most effective way to increase turnout.

[Anna]

Skimmed to try to understand the overwhelming amount of canvassing, emailing, and phone calls I was subjected to during the last election. Lots of different groups chasing every last fraction of a percentage point of voter turnout.

Maybe I’ll go hide in a cave before the next one and vote absentee.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Door-to-door canvassing is the most effective get-out-the-vote method: one additional vote generated for every fourteen people contacted. So you need to contact 14,000 people in person to swing 1,000 votes.

"It turns out that minds are difficult and expensive to change"

[Ron Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been my life for the last year

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was a great book yeah

[Joel D · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great over-view of the state of science about field campaigning, with useful practical material. Not a campaign manager's guide as such, but a useful resource to inform decision-making.

[Javier Boncompte G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It does what it says, a scientific approach to campaigns with a lot of experimental literature.

[Matteo · Rating 5 out of 5]

GOTV. GOTMFV. I like how leery the authors are about mass mailings. Refer to this the next time anyone tries to tell you that door knocking doesn't make a difference.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard read but worth it

Surveys research data on GOTV methods. Details can get a little tedious but conclusions are invaluable. Reading last chapter worth price of book.

[Bluehat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rock solid intro which anybody in the industry should read.

[Tom Jarmyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Academic consideration of experiments regarding voter turnout. Solid lessons.