A Megastudy of Behavioral Interventions to Increase Voter Registration Ahead of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election

In the United States, in nearly all cases, one must register in order to vote—yet, a substantial portion of the eligible electorate remains unregistered. Despite this, relatively little is known about how to increase the likelihood that a voter registers. Here, we tested the impact of 10 expert-crowdsourced, theoretically-based psychological interventions on a sample of eligible, yet unregistered, U.S. voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election (N = 12,896). Eight of the interventions increased intentions to vote, and five led individuals to click on the voter registration website. Escalating Commitment, which sequentially employed several social pressure strategies, was the strongest intervention across these outcomes. However, none of the interventions had a significant effect on actual voter registration or voter turnout. The results highlight a substantial disconnect between voters’ intentions and their ultimate behaviors. We discuss potential structural and psychological barriers that undermine the translation of intent into action.