Engaging New : The Impact of Voter Outreach on Client and Community Turnout www.nonprofitvote.org Executive Summary In the lead up to the 2014 general election, VOTE and its partners conducted a study on the effects of voter outreach carried out by nonprofit service providers and community-based organizations on their clients and constituents likelihood to vote. 1 The study found that those who, with the assistance of nonprofit staff or volunteers, either registered to vote or signed a pledge to vote in the 2014 general election turned out to vote at higher rates than other registered voters in the states and counties where the study was conducted, across all demographic groupings. Reaching Missed by Conventional Campaigns In addition, the study showed that nonprofits reached precisely the people most in need of assistance and encouragement to vote: populations with a history of lower turnout who are frequently neglected by traditional political campaigns and parties. engaged by nonprofits were markedly younger, more diverse, and lower-income than other registered voters in the study states. They were almost twice as likely to be under the age of 30, more than three times as likely to be Latino or black, and nearly four times as likely to have a household income under $25,000. More than half the voters engaged were identified, prior to the election, as low propensity voters, i.e. voters not expected to vote in the 2014 midterm. 2 1 The study tracked 28,881 individuals who registered to vote or signed a pledge to vote at 129 nonprofits in nine states. Using demographic and voting history data, we were able to determine whom the nonprofits reached and at what rate those contacted turned out to vote in the 2014 election, as compared to all registered voters in the states and counties where the study took place. 2 Low propensity here is defined as having a Catalist propensity score under 50, the cutoff that many campaigns used in targeting GOTV activities for the midterm election.
5.3 times more likely to be Latino 2.1 times more likely to be black NONPROFIT VOTERS WERE 3.6 times more likely to have an income under $25K 2.1 times more likely to be under 30 THAN ALL OTHER VOTERS. Increasing Voter Turnout across Demographic Groups Regardless of race or ethnicity, personal contact by nonprofit staff or volunteers resulted in increased turnout rates for those who registered or pledged to vote. Voter turnout of these nonprofit voters compared to the comparable demographic group among all registered voters in the study states was 15% higher for Latino voters, 31% higher for black voters, and 46% higher for Asian American voters. TURNOUT RATE BY RACE/ETHNICITY Asian 48% 33% 46% Black 49% 38% 31% White 59% 52% 14% Latino 35% 31% 15% 2
voters also showed increased turnout compared to other registered voters in the study states across age categories, with the greatest increase seen by voters under 30. voters under 30 saw a 28% increase in turnout, despite being more racially and ethnically diverse and lower-income than other voters. TURNOUT RATE BY AGE 18-29 28% 22% 28% 30-59 54% 46% 17% 60 74% 68% 9% Intervention by a nonprofit had its biggest impact on turnout of the least-likely voters. voters with the lowest for propensity scores (scores under 25) were more than twice as likely to cast ballots compared to their counterparts among all registered voters in the study states. TURNOUT RATE BY PROPENSITY TO VOTE <25 18% 8% 132% 26 50 35% 27% 33% 51 80 65% 57% 14% 81 100 90% 86 % 4% 3
Using Pledge Cards to Increase Turnout Asking voters who were already registered to vote to sign a pledge to vote also proved to be extremely effective in increasing turnout. This was especially true for pledge signers with very low propensity scores. Pledge signers with a propensity score under 25 saw a 144% increase in voter turnout compared to their counterparts among other registered voters in the study states. Signing a pledge is known to impact voting rates even without additional follow up. However many of the nonprofits were able to use the contact information given to mail a reminder postcard or call contacts closer to the election. TURNOUT RATE BY PROPENSITY TO VOTE FOR PLEDGES Who vs. Other <25 19% 8% 144% 26 50 41% 27% 53% 51 80 67% 57% 18% 81 100 90% 86 % 5% These turnout results mirror those of a study VOTE conducted in 2012, 3 which showed that nonprofit outreach resulted in above average turnout rates across all demographics, most strikingly among young and low propensity voters not expected to turn out. Together the two studies show that voter outreach by a trusted nonprofit messenger can be extremely effective in increasing turnout among those nonprofits clients, consumers and constituents. Outreach is especially effective in turning out those who are least likely to vote. 3 VOTE. Can s Increase Voting among Their Clients, Constituents and Community Members. 2013. 4
Best Practices for Voter Outreach To assess best practices, we asked the nonprofits that participated in the study to fill out an in-depth online survey. We also conducted interviews with several of the higher and lower performing nonprofits. High performers had several things in common, including more support from executive leadership; a dedicated staff lead; staff training on how to collect voter registration and pledge cards; an early start, usually in June or July, with activities intensifying as the election approached; use of regularly scheduled tabling for voter registration at their site and at events; strong partnerships with their state lead, local board of election and others; and previous experience with voter engagement or issue advocacy work. To learn more visit www.nonprofitvote.org/engaging-new-votes to download the full report. The report was prepared by Julian Johannesen, Director of Research and Training, George Pillsbury, Senior consultant and Lindsey Hodel, National Field Director. Technical assistance was provided by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tuft s University s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service. www.nonprofitvote.org 2464 Massachusetts Avenue Suite 210, Cambridge MA 02140 617-357-8683 Founded in 2005, VOTE partners with America s nonprofits to help the people they serve participate and vote. We are the leading source of nonpartisan resources to help nonprofits integrate voter engagement into their ongoing activities and services. 5