ABSTRACT There was more discussion of e-mails and e-mail servers in the 2016 election than any previous campaign. Yet, practically no attention was paid to the actual e-mails distributed by campaigns themselves. This study explores how presidential campaigns used e-mail as a strategic tool during the 2016 election. We collected and analyzed e-mails from all major party candidates over 10 months leading up to election day. The campaigns were organized into three categories based on how successful they were and how seriously they were run. Comparing the use of e-mail within each category and between them illuminates variation in how campaigns used e-mail, including during the primaries and the general election between Clinton and Trump. Notably, the Trump campaign e-mails were more participatory, fitting the populist theme of the campaign, and the Clinton campaign made the surprising strategic decision to stop direct e-mail communication to passive e-mail subscribers over two months before election day. Overall this study demonstrates how some strategies, such as the frequency of emailing, focus on fundraising, and consistent forms of interactions have become widely accepted norms. Further, it is clear that e-mail remains valuable for campaigns and an important subject for scholarship, despite its mundane nature.

中文翻译：

---

2016年总统大选中电子邮件的故事（令人惊讶）

摘要在2016年选举中，对电子邮件和电子邮件服务器的讨论比以前的任何竞选活动都要多。但是，实际上，没有注意到活动本身分发的实际电子邮件。这项研究探讨了总统竞选在2016年大选期间如何使用电子邮件作为战略工具。在选举日之前的10个月内，我们收集并分析了所有主要政党候选人的电子邮件。这些活动根据其成功程度和认真程度分为三类。比较每个类别及其之间电子邮件的使用情况，可以发现竞选活动使用电子邮件的方式有所不同，包括在初选期间和克林顿与特朗普之间的大选期间。值得注意的是，特朗普竞选活动的电子邮件更具参与性，符合竞选活动的民粹主义主题，克林顿（Clinton）竞选做出了令人惊讶的战略决定，即在选举日之前的两个月内停止了与被动电子邮件订阅者的直接电子邮件通信。总体而言，这项研究表明，某些策略（例如，电子邮件发送频率，关注筹款和一致的互动形式）已成为广为接受的规范。此外，很明显，尽管电子邮件具有平凡的性质，但它对于竞选活动仍然是有价值的，也是奖学金的重要主题。