Get Out the Vote: How to Increase Voter Turnout (Paperback)

~ (Author), Alan S. Gerber (Author) "The United States has the busiest election calendar on earth..." (more)
Key Phrases: youth vote, federal midterm elections, nonpartisan mail, Election Day, Los Angeles, David Nickerson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Donald P. Green and Alan S. Gerber have studied turnout for years. Their findings, based on dozens of controlled experiments done as part of actual campaigns, are summarized in a slim and readable new book called Get Out the Vote!, which is bound to become a bible for politicians and activists of all stripes." --Alan B. Kreuger, in the New York Times"Get Out the Vote! shatters conventional wisdom about GOTV." --Hal Malchow in Campaigns & Elections"Green and Gerber's recent book represents important innovations in the study of turnout."--Political Science Review"Green and Gerber have provided a valuable resource for grassroots campaigns across the spectrum."--National Journal --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

Get Out the Vote! Is a practical guide for anyone trying to mobilize voters or organize at the grass roots. Unlike authors of other campaign advice books, Donald Green and Alan Gerber root their work firmly in rigorous science. Their recommendations emerge from thorough experiments conducted in real electoral settings, examining the impact and effectiveness of door-to-door canvassing, telephone calls, direct mail, and other campaign tactics.

Since 1998 the authors have conducted research in over a dozen states, studying a wide range of federal, state, and municipal elections. Their book connects theory with practice, informing campaign professionals and local organizers as well as students of electoral politics. They discover that many GOTV tactics used by campaign managers and political consultants are less effective than is often believed. The authors, relying on rigorous and systematic research, challenge much of the conventional wisdom about what works and what doesn’t in the political campaigns.

The authors’ applied form of political science has won acclaim from scholars and earned the attention of campaign professionals and journalists. This book presents their result for a non-academic audience interested in putting campaign research into practice, and the findings will be surprising to many. Get Out the Vote! will help both consultants and the candidates who use their services better understand the efficacy of campaign methods. It is essential reading in an age of electronic communication, professional electioneering and voter apathy.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815732694
• ISBN-13: 978-0815732693
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #486,803 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Getting People to the Polls Takes Effort, October 23, 2004

By	Matthew Singer (Missoula, MT) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Surprising conclusions...except, not really.

It is good that some of this stuff has worked out, but a lot of it could be articulated by most people who spend time on GOTV. Political contact works better the more it is like a face-to-face conversation about information relevant to the person's life.

Hence, door-to-door canvassing is the most effective. Not surprising.

Phones come in second. Not surprising.

The more conversational and informational the phone call is, the more effective is. Still not surprising.

But this book is also a somewhat daunting reminder of just how difficult a good GOTV effort is. Virtually every one of their models pans out to about one additional voter for every hour of voter contact. Boy am I looking forward to next weekend.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first real measurement of what works in GOTV, April 30, 2004

By	Hal Malchow (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

Donald Green and Alan Gerber have done something that political professionals have failed to do. They have actually measured what works and does not work in GOTV. The results are sobering, enlightening and, above all, invaluable to any campaign manager who wants to get the most from his campaign dollars.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable book for campaign workers, July 27, 2006

By	D. Lowrie (Fairfield, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is very important for campaign workers for the simple reason that it provides statistical proof of "common sense" assumptions about campaigning. Perhaps more importantly, it also demonstrates to first time candidates & campaign workers that some highly-touted gimmicks DON'T work and are a waste of money. It seems to me well worth the price of the book to know how not to waste a campaign's time & money.