Large technology and media companies are among the businesses that have joined the TurboVote Challenge, an effort by nonpartisan nonprofit Democracy Works to boost U.S. voter turnout to 80% by 2020, up from about 60% in recent presidential elections. The TurboVote Challenge, which announced 35 new corporate partners Monday, including tech brands Google, Facebook, Foursquare, Instagram and Tumblr, encourages companies to promote civic engagement among their employees and customers. “We think that a total overhaul of how people vote could increase turnout by up to 20 percentage points,” said Democracy Works co-founder Seth Flaxman, who helped start Democracy Works as a graduate student at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Democracy Works’s original project, TurboVote, serves as an online tool for users to register to vote, sign up for reminders, get information about their polling location and request absentee ballot forms.
As part of its voter-registration efforts, Google has integrated state-specific deadlines, ID requirements and other voting information into its search bar, making it easier for voters to find the information they need. Social media like Facebook, Foursquare and Tumblr are pushing voters to vote with reminders and buttons. Foursquare will also launch an online interactive map of polling locations and food and drink places nearby and send out notifications around registration deadlines and election day.
Full Article: Big Brands Sign Up for Voter Turnout Effort – Washington Wire – WSJ.