Field Experimental Evidence on Smart City Technology and Voter Registration

• In Event: Participation in Politics

Abstract

How do “smart cities” serve to connect citizens and government? We utilize a novel stimulus in the fabric of urban life – large electronic kiosks in New York City, called LinkNYC – to test the way that one type of smart city technology can be used to encourage civic behavior. We partner with the company that operates the high definition displays and tablets on LinkNYC kiosks to conduct a field experiment to stimulate voter registration. We implement a randomized encouragement to register to vote using the large dynamic LinkNYC advertisement screens across New York City. We block-randomize groups of screens to show one of two appeals directing people to an electronic voter registration page on tablets attached to these kiosks – either a localized neighborhood-identity appeal, or an urgency appeal – or no appeal at all. We find that both appeals to encourage participation were effective at increasing rates of registration on LinkNYC kiosks. In addition, we examine how these effects vary by the type of neighborhood in which the kiosks were located and the proximity of the voter registration deadline. Overall, these results indicate the promise for new technology to influence civic behavior. In contrast to recent debates over voter registration laws, such as ID requirements, we show how smart city technology can remove one barrier to participation. In an era of low voter turnout, this initiative holds promise for increasing voter participation.

Authors

• Melissa Sands, University of California, Merced

• Justin de Benedictis-Kessner, Boston University