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ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø Authors

See citation below for complete author information.

Daniel Paul Professor of the Practice of Government and Technology, ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø and FAS

Abstract

This study evaluates the impact of text messaging interventions on voter registration updates in two scenarios: one involving unresponsive voters who provided phone numbers during registration, and another where phone numbers for unresponsive voters were obtained from external sources. In the lead-up to the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Rhode Island election officials reclassified 15,321 voters as inactive within the preceding two to twelve months. Of these, 24 percent (3,625 voters) had included text-capable phone numbers in their registration records. In Ohio, election officials identified 158,857 voter registrations for removal in August 2024, citing reasons such as death, relocation, or prolonged inactivity. Unlike in Rhode Island, Ohio voters had not provided phone numbers during registration. We obtained phone numbers from data brokers, using matches based on voters’ name, address, and year of birth. In both cases, a text message intervention was carried out, delivering a single message to hard-to-reach voters that encouraged them to update or confirm their registration through their respective state’s website in order to restore their active status.

Citation

Sweeney, Latanya, and Josh Visnaw. "Efficacy of Text Messaging in Activating Hard-to-Reach Voters in Rhode Island and Ohio." Technology Science (April 22, 2025).