Get out the vote (GOTV) campaigns using different messages on myriad channels have promoted voter turnout, however, their effectiveness can vary widely and the mechanisms of treatment effectiveness remain unclear. By conducting a GOTV field experiment followed up by an online survey, this research aimed to better understand GOTV campaign effects and to determine whether and how interpersonal communication might play a significant role in campaign success. This study also considered the effects of conversation characteristics such as relational closeness, discussion agreement, and overall valence on the predicted relationship of campaign-driven discussion leading to pro-voting attitudes and voter turnout. Results found the treatment to be unsuccessful in driving turnout, and even negatively impacted some outcome variables. However, individuals who discussed voting more frequently had more positive attitudes toward voting and were more likely to vote. Furthermore, though cumulative campaign message exposure showed no direct effects on outcome variables, it did have indirect positive effects on voting attitude and voter turnout only through the mediating role of interpersonal communication.
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