The Evolution and Impact of Data-Driven Campaigning

• In Event: Poster Session: Health Policy and Politics & Information Technology and Politics
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Information Technology and Politics

Abstract

Voter data have become integral to developing and implementing campaign strategy in the United States. Drawing on over 4 million verified expenditure records submitted by House candidates between 2006 and 2018, I provide a comprehensive campaign-level examination of voter data acquisition and its relationship to voter outreach strategy. Preliminary results reveal persistent candidate and party-level differences in voter data acquisition patterns and a consistent relationship between particular data sources and resulting voter outreach expenditures. To my knowledge, this research is the first to parse these expenditure records by data sources (i.e., polling and voter file records) and types of outreach activities (i.e., mass media, digital media, and direct contact). By systematically examining these data and outreach patterns, this project moves beyond anecdotal accounts to provide a more complete picture of the evolving voter information environment.

Author

• Levi Bankston, University of Wisconsin - Madison