Mr. Cruz’s 2016 presidential campaign had a reputation for engaging in dirty tricks. One of them was a letter he sent to Iowa voters before that state’s Republican caucuses — which Mr. Cruz won — notifying them of nonexistent “voting violations.”
The letter said the recipient had a record of voting infrequently, which is not a violation, and included the names of the recipient and their neighbors alongside a “score” based on their turnout record. It said they could improve their score by voting in the caucuses and warned that “a follow-up notice may be issued” after the caucuses were finished.
That kind of social pressure can be effective in boosting turnout, according to an influential 2008 study by the political scientists Alan S. Gerber, Donald P. Green and Christopher W. Larimer.