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Who's That Knocking? A Study of the Strategic Choices Facing Large-Scale Grassroots Canvassing Efforts
Although there is a consensus that personalized forms of campaign outreach are more likely to be effective at either mobilizing or even persuading voters, there remains uncertainty about how campaigns should implement get-out-the-vote (GOTV) programs, especially at a truly expansive scale.
Although recent political science research has established that face-to-face contacting mobilizes eligible citizens to vote, the emphasis on field experiments to facilitate causal inference has occasionally come at the expense of a deeper knowledge of how campaigns develop and implement canvassing and get-out-the-vote (GOTV) programs. We rely on a case study from a major statewide campaign in Texas to identify and explore the strategic considerations leading to the deployment of a large-scale paid field operation. Among the campaign management challenges in carrying out a statewide canvassing effort, we address the recruitment, retention, and supervision of canvassers; the choice of target neighborhoods and voters; the variable response of voters at the doorstep; setting and reaching performance goals; the timing of contacts; detailed recordkeeping; and the turnout results. In detailing this effort, we draw upon insights from interviews with staffers, field observations, and the campaign's detailed data on response at the doorstep for a target list of 2.5 million voters. In the end, we find that strategic decisions are myriad and complex, and that they almost certainly condition the impact of canvassing and GOTV operations.
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This paper was originally published by Political Science Quarterly
Politics
National Civitas Institute Poll: Americans are Anxious and Frustrated, Creating a Challenging Environment for Leaders
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Liberal Democracy Reexamined: Leo Strauss on Alexis de Tocqueville
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The United States should use this moment to argue for a different approach to the rules of war.
Trump purged America’s Leftist toxins. Now hubris will be his downfall
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California’s wealth tax tests the limits of progressive politics
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When Duvall Played Stalin
It’s strange to compliment an actor for impersonating a tyrant, but it is an act of courage.
When Vanity Leads to Impropriety
A president should simply not be allowed to name anything after himself without checks from Congress or an independent commission.
