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17 J. Soc. & Soc. Welfare 109 (1990)
Promoting Voting Behavior among Low Income Black Voters Using Reminder Letters: An Experimental Investigation

handle is hein.journals/jrlsasw17 and id is 633 raw text is: Promoting Voting Behavior Among Low Income Black Voters Using Reminder Letters: An Experimental Investigation WILLIAM KELLY CANADY BRUCE A. THYER University of Georgia School of Social Work A controlled experimental design applied in a field setting was used to determine the effectiveness of a bipartisan mailed letter reminding registered low income black voters to participate in the 1988 Presidential election. Each member of three groups of approximately 85 voters received either one, two or three such reminder letters shortly before the election. A fourth, control group of voters did not receive any letters. Statistical analysis revealed that the reminder letters appeared to have no effect on voting behavior. The last twenty-five years have seen a general decline in the numbers of eligible voters who exercise their ballot in national elections. The participation of the electorate has declined 30% from the 1962 high of 72.8%, although there have been elec- tions in which the number of voters has increased. Seventy-five million voters in the 1984 election, and more than 107 million voters in 1986, failed to cast their ballot (cf. Piven & Cloward, 1988a, 1988b). Social workers have a vested professional interest, as well as a philosophical one, in encouraging the right to vote among all members of society, but especially among the consumers of social welfare services. Traditionally the poor, the handicapped, racial and ethnic minorities and other members of oppressed groups have had relatively low levels of participation in national elections (Piven & Cloward, 1988a). In part, such failures to vote are attributable to both inadvertent and intentional obstacles to *The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Professor David L. Levine in the conduct of this research.

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