x

NEW UPDATE: Completed trials may now upload and register supplementary documents (e.g. null results reports, populated pre-analysis plans, or post-trial results reports) in the Post Trial section under Reports, Papers, & Other Materials.
Registering Re-Entering Citizens to Vote
Last registered on June 30, 2020
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information
General Information
Title
Registering Re-Entering Citizens to Vote
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0004574
Initial registration date
August 13, 2019
Last updated
June 30, 2020 1:49 PM EDT
Location(s)

This section is unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access to this information.

Request Information
Primary Investigator
Name
Ariel White
Affiliation
MIT
Contact Primary Investigator
Other Primary Investigator(s)
PI Name
Jennifer Doleac
PI Affiliation
Texas A&M
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Eric Foster-Moore
PI Affiliation
Alloy
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Laurel Eckhouse
PI Affiliation
Denver University
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Allison Harris
PI Affiliation
Yale University
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Hannah Walker
PI Affiliation
Rutgers
Contact Investigator
Additional Trial Information
Status
In development
Start date
2019-08-28
End date
2021-02-01
Keywords
Electoral
Additional Keywords
voter registration
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
Millions of people in the US are eligible to vote despite past felony convictions, but their voter participation rates are extraordinarily low. Efforts to register and mobilize this population have foundered due to data limitations. In this pilot project, we will test a method for registering previously-convicted or formerly-incarcerated people to vote. We propose to use administrative data to identify and find contact information for people with past convictions, and then to send them messages encouraging them to register. This pilot study will lay the groundwork for a larger experiment. Ultimately, we plan a large randomized control trial to test the efficacy of such contacts for converting returning citizens into registered voters. This type of evidence is especially important as states consider restoring voting rights to individuals with felony convictions who remain disenfranchised.
External Link(s)
Registration Citation
Citation
Doleac, Jennifer et al. 2020. "Registering Re-Entering Citizens to Vote." AEA RCT Registry. June 30. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.4574-2.0.
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details
Interventions
Intervention(s)
We will contact previously-convicted people prior to fall municipal elections, offering them information about eligibility to vote and a registration form and stamped envelope to return that form to the board of elections.

We will scale up the previous pilot study for a larger trial prior to the 2020 general election. We will use a between-subjects design with several treatment arms and an (uncontacted) control group.
Intervention Start Date
2019-08-28
Intervention End Date
2020-11-03
Primary Outcomes
Primary Outcomes (end points)
Voter registration (appearing on the state's public voter file) and voting in municipal elections where relevant, as well as longer-term voter participation in the next statewide election.

For the larger scaled up project we will also collect data for voting in the General Election.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Secondary Outcomes
Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
Experimental Design
Experimental Design
We will randomly divide people in a sample of previously-convicted residents of North Carolina into two groups; the "control" group will not be contacted, while the "treatment" group will be sent a letter telling them about the voter registration process and encouraging them to register if eligible.

For the scaled-up study we will use a between-subjects design with several treatment arms and an (uncontacted) control group.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No
Experiment Characteristics
Sample size: planned number of clusters
8,621 people for whom we have addresses in the initial sample.

Across all conditions and control groups, we expect a total sample size of about 161,000 individuals in the 2020 trial.
Sample size: planned number of observations
same as clusters (individual randomization)
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
people will be randomized with equal probability into treatment/control conditions (so n/2).

People will be randomized with equal probability into treatment/control conditions for the 2020 expansion.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB
INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARDS (IRBs)
IRB Name
MIT COUHES
IRB Approval Date
2019-07-19
IRB Approval Number
1907914986
Analysis Plan