get out the vote

"Get out the vote" (or "getting out the vote"; GOTV) are terms used to describe two categories of political activity, both aimed at increasing the number of votes cast in one or more elections. In countries that do not enforce mandatory voting, voter turnout can be low, sometimes even below a third of the eligible voter pool. Campaigns typically attempt to register voters, then get them to vote, either by absentee ballot, early voting or election day voting. The value of GOTV is unclear, but a well-organized effort probably gains a candidate on the order of half a percentage point.