Voter Registration Postcards to Unregistered Eligible Citizens

Summary

State election agencies randomly selected eligible non-registrants to receive postcards explaining how to register. Treatment recipients registered at significantly higher rates and were more likely to vote in the subsequent election. The intervention is low-cost, politically neutral (targeting only eligible citizens), and highly scalable. The study demonstrates that unregistered voters are largely uninformed or inattentive, not uninterested.

Research question

"Can postcards sent to eligible but unregistered citizens increase registration and turnout?"

Methodology

Result

Positive

+2.7 pp registration (treatment 9.6% vs. control 6.9%); statistically significant turnout increase

Evidence strength

Strong

Randomized trial, replicated across multiple sites or studies.

Replication status

Replicated