Free Voter Registration Visits Boosted Participation Unequally in 2012 French Elections?

What We Did

We ran a large-scale experimental intervention during the 2012 French elections. Data & Methods

Our study involved randomly assigning 20,500 apartments to different canvassing groups.

• Control group: No intervention
• Treatment Groups (6): Received visits from election organizers
• Two distinct types of support:

* Information about registration only

* Help with the actual registration process at home

Key Findings

Both types of canvassing increased voter registration, but significantly more effective was direct home help.

* Home-based registration assistance outperformed informational visits in boosting participation across apartment residents.

* Importantly, this intervention didn't just bring people to vote who wouldn't have otherwise; it actually helped citizens overcome the initial hurdles to register.

Why It Matters

Citizens reached through home registration became more engaged and knowledgeable about politics. This suggests that easing formal barriers could substantially improve representation.