UC Santa Barbara

Abstract: Environmental organizations play an active role in electoral politics, yet these interventions have received far less study than the movement’s efforts at public persuasion or policy advocacy. We examine the effect of environmental voter mobilization on turnout and attitudes among supporters of a Canadian environmental organization. Through a field experiment during the 2017 British Columbia election, we evaluate two prevalent types of get-out-the-vote (GOTV) conversations – a regular GOTV conversation focused on vote plan-making, and an issue GOTV conversation that first engaged respondents in a personal discussion about environmentalism. For both GOTV interventions, we estimate a positive yet borderline significant effect on turnout. Neither GOTV intervention strengthened environmental attitudes, and the regular GOTV intervention may have even decreased en-vironmental issue salience. Our research illuminates the challenges that climate advocates face in mobilizing their constituents, while demonstrating their potential for influence on the electorate.