Research on the effects of prepaid postage on voter participation in Switzerland found a modest increase in turnout between 1.1 and 1.3 percentage points.
Prepaid postage using pre-stamped envelopes to affect turnout costs
Does Vote-by-Mail Cause Voters to Gather Information About Politics?
This paper finds that voters who obtain their ballots by mail tend to be more informed than voters who vote at polling places because they are given more time to review their ballots and research candidates and issues. As such, voting from home, or voting by mail, results in a more informed electorate.
Center for American Progress: Increasing Voter Participation in America
This report on methods to increase voter participation cites universal vote by mail, no-excuse mail voting, and vote centers as solutions.
Survey of States’ Cost Savings
Alaska’s Election Policy Work Group compiled research regarding five star vote-by-mail systems, including a survey of cost savings across a number of states
The Elasticity of Voter Turnout: Investing 85 Cents per Voter to Increase Voter Turnout by 4 Percent
In this paper that examines the effects of prepaid postage on voter turnout in the Swiss Canton of Berne, researchers find that prepaid postage is associated with a statistically significant 1.8 percentage point increase in voter turnout. Overall, this amounts to 4 percent more voters participating.
Colorado Voting Reforms: Early Results
Nearly three years ago, significant changes to Colorado election law necessitated an overhaul of the state’s voting process. The Voter Access and Modernized Elections Act of 2013 mandated that mail ballots be sent to every registered voter for most elections; eliminated assigned polling places while establishing voter service and polling centers where any voter in a county can cast a ballot—either early or on Election Day; authorized inperson same-day registration; and shortened the state residency requirements for voter registration.