The Union of Concerned Scientists, in partnership with Greater Cleveland Congregations, has found that the strategy known as relational organizing has succeeded in getting infrequent or new voters in Cleveland to commit to voting during the last two election cycles.
This technique proved effective even though research indicates “get out the vote” strategies may actually worsen the gap between frequent and infrequent voters. But relational organizing alone cannot overcome all the structural barriers to voting that exist in states like Ohio. When combined with integrated voter engagement (IVE) technology and strong relationships with local election administrators, it can be scaled up to increase turnout nationwide.
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