‘Your neighbors will know:’ Mailers might scare voters, but who you vote for is private

The mailers are ominous: If you don’t vote, your friends and neighbors will find out that you let the “radical left” win.

It’s a form of election peer pressure that pops up at least every four years.

Here’s the truth: Ohio public records laws allow you to see if someone voted in a primary or general election − but not whom they voted for. And your friends and neighbors are probably too busy to look up how frequently you vote.

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One new mailer from the Sentinel Action Fund, a super PAC affiliated with the conservative Heritage Action, warns Ohio recipients: “Voting is a matter of public record. Your neighbors, family and friends will know if you protect our community and vote − or if you don’t.”

These tactics aren’t new. The approach persists because it works on some voters, said Christopher Devine, an associate professor of political science at the University of Dayton.

“The underlying idea is one of social pressure, which we know in a variety of ways does influence how people engage in elections,” Devine said.

But the language can turn other people off. “People really see this as an invasion of privacy and a threat,” Devine said.

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The approach can backfire on candidates, in particular. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz angered voters in 2018 when his campaign sent a fundraising letter disguised as an official summons, the New York Times reported. During his 2016 presidential bid, Cruz’s campaign sent Iowans “voting violations” that graded recipients for low voter turnout, according to The New Yorker.

“It’s definitely risky for a candidate to do this,” Devine said.

Jessie Balmert covers state government and politics for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.