Research shows that simply helping voters make a plan for when and how they will cast their ballot can significantly boost voter turnout, particularly in single-voter households. While traditional outreach calls had minimal impact, those that encouraged voters to think through specific details of their voting day led to a notable increase in participation, offering a fresh approach to mobilizing voters.
Nickerson, D. W., & Rogers, T. (2010). Do you have a voting plan? Implementation intentions, voter turnout, and organic plan making. Psychological Science, 21(2), 194-199. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797609359326
What Did They Study?
The researchers set out to explore how asking voters to make a specific voting plan could influence turnout. Their objective was to test whether prompting people to think through the details of when, where, and how they would vote—referred to as “implementation intentions”—would increase voter participation.
Conducted during the 2008 U.S. presidential election, the study compared this approach to standard get-out-the-vote calls, which typically remind voters of the election without encouraging detailed planning. The researchers aimed to understand if this more specific, plan-making approach would have a greater impact on getting people to the polls.
How Did They Perform The Study?
The researchers conducted a large field experiment during the 2008 U.S. presidential election, targeting over 287,000 registered voters in Pennsylvania. Participants were randomly assigned to different groups, receiving one of several phone scripts.
Some were given standard get-out-the-vote messages, while others were asked about their intention to vote. A third group was prompted to make a specific voting plan, detailing when, where, and how they would cast their ballot. Voter turnout was then tracked using official records, allowing the researchers to compare how each approach influenced participation rates.
What Did They Find?
The study found that voters who were prompted to make a detailed voting plan were significantly more likely to vote. In fact, turnout increased by 4.1 percentage points among those who received plan-making calls, with an even larger effect (9.1 percentage points) in single-voter households.
Standard get-out-the-vote calls and those asking voters if they intended to vote had little to no impact on turnout. The results suggest that encouraging voters to think through the specifics of their voting day can be a powerful tool for campaigns looking to increase participation, especially among certain demographics.
Takeaways
- Help Voters Make a Plan: The researchers suggest that campaigns should help voters think through specific details of their voting plan, like when, where, and how they'll vote. This strategy works especially well for single-voter households, where voters are less likely to have made a plan already.
- Focus on Important, Personal Actions: The authors point out that this approach is most effective for important, personal actions, like voting or health decisions, that aren't always discussed within households. It's particularly helpful for groups like single-adult households.
- Tailor Outreach Efforts: Since multiple-voter households were less affected, the researchers recommend focusing efforts on individuals who are less likely to have made voting plans on their own, such as those living alone.
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