And it says it IS a very effective tactic, despite receiving some backlash.
Posted on 01/30/2016 1:49:49 PM PST by JediJones
"We're sending this mailing to you, your friends, your neighbors, your colleagues at work and your community members to publicize who does and does not vote."
The letter let Adams know that the senders intended to mail an updated chart after the Nov. 4 election.
Increasingly, political groups across the country are utilizing publicly available voter lists and other databases to send mailings that use what researchers call "social pressure" to get people to vote.
The most forceful threaten to expose an individual's voting record, or lack thereof, to peers.
...was sent by a political action committee called the Opportunity Alliance PAC [4] that has been active in Oregon and Iowa Senate races [5]. Filings with the Federal Election Commission show the main donor...has contributed to conservative causes and championed charter schools and educational choice [7].
Letters like the one being delivered to mailboxes in Anchorage are among the most effective ways to mobilize voters...
...shame was an effective motivator to get people to the polls, he said.
If you see voting as a "pro-social activity," having people whose opinions you care about know you don't vote could be embarrassing.
For all its utility, the technique also causes backlash.
News reports from the 2012 and 2014 election cycles describe angry reactions from recipients of "voter shaming" mailers in states like Colorado and Arkansas.
The voter-shaming mailers don't appear to be in violation of the law, she said.
One was sent by America Votes [8], a progressive group...
The other was sent by the Koch brothers-backed conservative nonprofit Americans for Prosperity [9].
"Very few things have been proven to be as effective as the heavy-handed social pressure mailer," Panagopoulos said.
In fact, research shows they are roughly as effective as the far more resource-intensive door-to-door, get-out-the-vote visits, he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at adn.com ...
And it says it IS a very effective tactic, despite receiving some backlash.
Still a crappy ad.
I ran for office and during the six month campaign, I used voting records to send birthday postcards to voters.
You’d think I’d engaged in identity theft based on some of the reactions.
And then there’s the 90 yr old sitting on his front porch when I was block walking that said as I approached, “I know you, I’m voting for you. You want to know why? You were the only person to send me a card on my birthday.”
Political ads are weird things.
Not something I like at all no matter who does it.
Iowa Sec State denounces ad.
Here’s why:
http://www.linncountygop.org/events/meet-don-trump-hosted-by-secretary-of-state-paul-pate-2/
“.........to publicize who does and does not vote.”.......
Does the plan include how many times each one votes? I think that might be more appropriate.
Not only is this wrong, it is unconstitutional in my opinion. At the very least it is BS.
You’re really digging deep to justify this, sad.
Cruz effed up, you’re not even honest enough to admit it.
I’ll vote for him, but he messed up big time.
If someone did this to me I would vote for the opposing candidate just out of spite.
Mao would be so proud.
This tactic is counterproductive. They can shame you into voting, but they can’t know how you vote, at least for now.
If I received a shaming letter I would vote against the mailer’s advice and share my outrage with everyone I know.
Very .... Soviet.
As many would, and probably will in Iowa.
Telling someone they're getting an 'F' for not voting by a Washington DC politician = NOT SMART. Especially with all the anger at Washington DC these days for their not doing their job, missing votes, failing to stop Obama at anything, and being out on the campaign trail when they should be doing their job in Washington DC.
Yep, not smart at all.
“Messed up big-time” is an overstatement at this point. The research seems to show that, yes, some people are offended by the mailers, but it appears to work on some people. I don’t know who, maybe someone who believes in voting but gets too distracted to remember to do it. I definitely think that a shocking “voter violation” envelope is going to get opened more likely than a plain political envelope, so that’s one reason it might work. It can get people’s attention who might be distracted. I would think the person it works on would be someone who would laugh at how dramatic it looked but then realize they do feel a little guilty about not voting.
I got one of those in MO, must have been 2014. Totally ticked me off, even though I think it said I was 100%.
Very fast way to alienate voters.
Nothing says Evangelical Christian like a shaming letter. :-)
Voters should be ashamed for not voting. This gives their more public minded neighbors an opportunity to invite them to a caucus.if it works and is legal, do you think Trump would hesitate foe a second to do the same thing?
It’s been used in Maine too. I still have mine.
It would DEFINITELY work for me .... I’d make a point of going to the polls & voting for anyone but the person who sent it.
Cruz isn’t any kind of typical “Washington DC politician” though. To put him in that box for every reason is ignoring that he was sent by the Tea Party to stop Obama’s agenda and shake up the status quo in D.C., which he has done everything in his power to do.
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