ISPS ID:
ISPS08-005
Full citation:
Middleton, Joel A. & Donald P. Green (2008) "Do Community-Based Mobilization Campaigns Work Even in Battleground States? Evaluating the Effectiveness of MoveOn 2004 Outreach Campaign." Quarterly Journal of Political Science 3: 63-82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1561/100.00007019
Abstract:
One of the hallmarks of the 2004 presidential election was the unusual emphasis on face-to-face voter mobilization, particularly face-to-face mobilization conducted within neighborhoods or social networks. Unlike previous studies of face-to-face voter mobilization, which have focused largely on nonpartisan campaigns conducted during midterm or local elections, this study assesses the effects of a campaign organized by MoveOn.org, an organization that allied itself with the Democratic Party in 2004 to aid presidential candidate John Kerry. A regression discontinuity analysis of 46,277 voters from 13 swing states demonstrates that neighbor-to-neighbor mobilization substantially increased turnout among target voters during the 2004 presidential election. Contact with MoveOn volunteers increased turnout by approximately nine percentage-points. This finding corroborates experimental findings showing the effectiveness of door-to-door canvassing but contradicts results suggesting that such mobilization is ineffective in the context of high-salience elections.
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2008
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