Campaigning personalization is often thought necessary for voter mobilization, but this gap between theory and practice may not always hold. This study examines a 2017 field experiment conducted with the Liberal Democrats in the United Kingdom.

Key Findings:

* Postal party leaflets boosted turnout by 4.3 percentage points, while canvass visits added just 0.6 percentage points.

* Leaflet effectiveness slightly outweighed personal contact, contradicting expectations that direct interaction is essential for GOTV success.

Real-World Relevance:

This work addresses calls for more European-based GOTV experiments by demonstrating the surprising influence of impersonal communication in the UK context. Furthermore, it stands as a unique field experiment comparing GOTV tactics at the individual level outside the United States.

The study design carefully compares these methods.