Good Old-Fashioned Door-To-Door Canvassing Can Raise Youth Voter Turnout Substantially Yale Study Finds 6/13/2002
From: William A. Galston, 301-405-6347 Veronica E. De La Garza, 202-783-4754 both for the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement News Advisory: The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at the University of Maryland's School of Public Affairs, Yale University Political Science Professor Donald P. Green and the Youth Vote Coalition will hold a panel discussion to present the results of Getting Out the Youth Vote in Local Elections: Results from Six Door-to-Door Canvassing Experiments. Prior to the November 6, 2001 elections, randomized voter mobilization experiments were conducted in Bridgeport, Columbus, Detroit, Minneapolis, Raleigh, and St. Paul. In five of six sites, actual contact with a canvasser increased turnout among all age groups by an average of 10.9 percentage-points. Among voters 25 and under, face-to-face canvassing had slightly stronger effects. An unexpected result of face-to-face canvassing was that it produced a "spillover" reaction. Other registered voters living at the same address with voters in the treatment group voted at significantly higher rates. In the five cities where face-to-face canvassing proved effective, voter turnout increased by 5.7 percentage-points in households that were contacted by canvassers. WHERE: West Penthouse, 1301 K Street NW Washington DC. WHEN: Tuesday, June 18, 2002 8:30 to 10 a.m. Breakfast and panel discussion. WHO: Co-sponsored by CIRCLE and the Youth Vote Coalition. The panel discussion will feature Donald P. Green, William A. Galston, Christine Matthews and Rebecca Evans. Donald P. Green is an A. Whitney Griswold Professor of Political Science at Yale University. Professor Green is also Director of Yale's Institution for Social and Policy Studies, which has sponsored and conducted more than a dozen randomized field experiments to gauge the effectiveness of voter mobilization campaigns. (see http://www.yale.edu/isps/publications/) William A. Galston is the Director of CIRCLE. CIRCLE promotes research on civic engagement by Americans between the ages of 15 and 25. Christine Matthews is a political consultant and strategist. Christine is also the President of Bellwether Consulting. Rebecca Evans is Executive Director of the Youth Vote Coalition. Youth Vote is a non-partisan coalition created to encourage civic participation among our nation's young adults. Full report is available online at http://www.yale.edu/isps/publications/doortodoor.pdf and at www.youthvote.org --- EDITOR'S NOTE: Substantive information in this release is embargoed until Tuesday, June 18. |