Get Out the Vote!: How to Increase Your Voter Turnout

This book should be mandatory reading for anybody planning or executing a campaign. It spells the latest scientific observations on what moves or does not move the electorate during the get out the vote period. I am using this data for my race for County Commissioner and for political planning in general.

If you've worked in politics, especially field, there aren't any revelations. It's pretty straight-forward, proving common sense (reaching out to neglected voters is more effective than talking to voters who've already been contacted, canvassing beats calling beats mailing, etc), but the data is fascinating and their analysis is spot-on.

then you need to read this book and hope that your competition doesn't. Whether you're new to politics or have been involved for years, this book will educate you on the most efficient campaign tactics, and where you should focus your precious time and resources. Green and Gerber present scientific studies that show what a complete waste of time and money certain widely-used campaign tactics are, while other less-utilized maneuvers are proven to be highly effective. This book is often cited on political discussion blogs, and for good reason.

Also available in a hardcover edition, Get Out The Vote!: How To Increase Voter Turnout is a no-nonsense guide for anyone striving to mobilize voters. Written by two professors of political science and experts on political campaigns, elections, and research methodology, Get Out The Vote! covers such motivating means as door-to-door canvassing, leaflets, direct mail, phone banks, electronic mail, and more. Written to be as useful for non-specialist general readers striving to motivate a grass-roots political campaign as well as a seminal instruction guide to political experts planning to win a large-scale race, Get Out The Vote! offers a wealth of solid, easy-to-understand wisdom straight from the horse's mouth.

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.