Getting Out the Vote: Party Mobilization in a Comparative Perspective
Date
2008
Authors
Karp, Jeffrey
Banducci, Susan
Bowler, Shaun
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Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Abstract
A long tradition within political science examines the impact of party canvassing on voter participation. Very little of this work, however, is comparative in scope. This essay examines how system-level characteristics shape the nature and impact of party canvassing and how voters respond to those efforts. Parties are found to target the same types of potential voters everywhere those who are likely to participate. However, one important difference is that overall levels of party contact are far greater in candidate-based systems than in proportional representation (PR) systems. Party mobilization, therefore, cannot explain the higher rates of turnout observed in PR systems.
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Source
British Journal of Political Science
Type
Journal article