TurboVote

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TurboVote
HeadquartersNew York City
Location
  • United States
ServicesVoter registration and information
CEO
Luis Lozada
Parent organization
Democracy Works
Websitehttps://turbovote.org

TurboVote is an American non-profit website that seeks to increase voter turnout by helping its users register to vote, find polling places, and research election issues. Its parent company, Democracy Works, was co-founded by Kathryn Peters and Seth Flaxman in 2010.[1]

History

TurboVote was first piloted at Boston University during the 2010 midterm elections.[2]

TurboVote's parent company, Democracy Works, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Its donors include the Knight Foundation, which has given US$5.15 million since 2012.[1]

As of 2019, TurboVote has 51 employees and is based out of its Brooklyn, New York City office.[1]

Luis Lozada was hired as CEO in 2022 after previously serving as General Counsel for two years.[3]

Services and partnerships

TurboVote's services include helping voters register to vote and apply for absentee or mail-in ballots and sending text and email reminders about elections.[4] Its services are available in English and Spanish.[5]

TurboVote has partnered with more than three hundred institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, and companies to register more than ten million voters.[4] Some partners sponsor mailings, allowing TurboVote to send legal paperwork to voters by mail.[6]

Democracy Works' partners have included Google, Snapchat, Twitter, Microsoft, Amazon, reddit, WordPress, Tumblr,[7] BuzzFeed with Barack Obama,[5] Spotify,[8] Starbucks, Airbnb, Target,[9] Uber,[10] Instagram,[11] and Lady Gaga.[12]

In 2022, Democracy Works and TurboVote supported more than 1,500 elections and distributed more than 54 million election notifications. The TurboVote tool was overhauled to expand its capabilities, allowing voters to check their registration status, pledge to register to vote once they turn 18, find their polling location, make plans to vote in person or by mail, and even contact their local election office.[13]

Controversies

In 2018, TurboVote texted its users in Boone County, Missouri outdated information based on the polling station locations from four years prior. After the county clerk's office contacted TurboVote, they texted correct information to the affected voters.[14]

In 2018, scammers posed as employees of TurboVote, phoning prospective voters in Georgia and Washington in search of personal information and money.[15]

In 2019, the National Association of Secretaries of State claimed that TurboVote has periodically failed to process voter registrations, like on September 25, 2018, National Voter Registration Day, when their website crashed.[16]

References

  1. ^ a b c Eversley, Melanie (November 27, 2019). "Can an App Drive More Voters to the Polls in 2020? This Entrepreneur Has High Hopes It Will". Fortune. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  2. ^ "TurboVote: "Netflix" for Voter Registration". Harvard Magazine. September 13, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  3. ^ "Meet Democracy Works CEO Luis Lozada!". Democracy Works. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "About TurboVote". Democracy Works. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Sutton, Kelsey (June 27, 2016). "With help from President Obama, BuzzFeed launches get-out-the-vote initiative". Politico. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  6. ^ Davidi, Adam (October 24, 2013). "Bringing innovation in government to life: Q&A with Kathryn Peters". The Guardian. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  7. ^ Pierce, David (November 3, 2020). "The messy world of data behind tech's campaign to get out the vote". Protocol. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  8. ^ Kuffel, Veronica (November 5, 2020). "Music industry creates initiatives to increase voter turnout". The Badger Herald. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  9. ^ "Starbucks, Airbnb, Democracy Works aim to boost U.S. voter turnout". Reuters. March 23, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  10. ^ Rose Dickey, Megan (September 15, 2020). "Uber wants to help its drivers and delivery workers register to vote". TechCrunch. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  11. ^ Gartenberg, Chaim (September 18, 2018). "Instagram will use ads to help users register to vote". The Verge. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  12. ^ Darmon, Aynslee (October 27, 2020). "Lady Gaga Makes A Statement With Viral Voting Video". ET Canada. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  13. ^ "2022 Impact Report" (PDF). Democracy Works. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  14. ^ Rodriguez, Bianca; Zaiets, Karina; Elkin, Elizabeth (November 6, 2018). "Many voters confused over polling locations this year". The Columbia Missourian. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  15. ^ Klepper, David (October 16, 2020). "Scammers seize on US election, but it's not votes they want". The Associated Press. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  16. ^ Huseman, Jessica (March 11, 2019). "Facebook and Twitter Turned to TurboVote to Drive Registrations. Officials Want Them to Turn Away". ProPublica. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
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