A new study provides exciting new evidence that documents the effectiveness of in-agency nonprofit voter engagement work.

During the 2010 midterm election, Dr. Kelly LeRoux of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) conducted research on the impact nonprofits have when they talk to their clients and constituents about voting. The study, supported by Nonprofit VOTE and the Michigan Nonprofit Association, showed that when nonprofits discussed voting with clients, their likelihood of both voting and talking to their families and friends about the election increased.

While previous studies of nonpartisan voter engagement campaigns have focused on door-to-door canvassing and phone banking strategies,this was the first study that assessed the impact of the "agency-based" nonpartisan voter mobilization effort.

Study participants were placed in one of three groups:

1. The Control Groupwas not contacted about voting.


2. The Voter Registration Groupwas contacted once and only about registering to vote.


3. The Multiple Contact Groupwas contacted once about registering to vote and then an additional one to three times with other voting information. 

Findings

The study reveals four key findings that have important implications for nonprofits and our role in increasing voter participation in 2012 and beyond. 

1. Clients contacted by the nonprofit about voting had a higher likelihood of voting than members of the Control Group who were not contacted.
    
   


2. The likelihood of the client voting increased proportionally for every additional contact made by the nonprofit. This indicates that the level of effort nonprofits invest in their voter engagement work is important—greater efforts can lead to higher turnout—and that allocating resources to these activities will bring a civic participation “return on investment.”


3. Clients in the contacted groups were not only more likely to vote, but were also more likely to encourage their family and friends to vote. This suggests that a nonprofit’s voter engagement efforts may extend beyond the clients themselves, imparting a broader, community-wide impact.


4. Among the types of voter assistance provided, registering new voters and offering voting reminders made the biggest difference in increasing voter turnout. 
    
   

The findings for "Sample Ballots" and "Voter Info Forum" are not statistically significant, so although they are between 0 and -0.1, that does not mean they are not worthwhile or ineffective outreach methods.

(The findings are also summarized in a one page factsheet.)