Hey everyone,
I created the Informed Voter app in an attempt to make a difference this election. Voting is a vital part of our democracy and one that I fear often gets brushed aside in the U.S.
The problem isn't for the lack of information. There's a lot of information out there for finding out how you can vote. Just do a Google search.
I believe the issue is with motivation. Most people have lots going on in their lives so they don't want to waste time going to the polling location and waiting in line, sometimes for over 3 hours. On top of that there's the issue that a lot of people aren't motivated because of the candidates that are on the ballot.
What I think is needed is a more social approach to voting. Election commissions have started using voting stickers to encourage status sharing and Facebook has done a few things for posting to your wall.
The Informed Voter attempts to make it even more personal, through your text messages. It's obvious that some of us care more about voting then others, so the Informed Voter gives you a platform to help you motivate your friends to vote.
With the Informed Voter iMessage app, your friends don't even have to look up their polling information, you just send it to them. Text messages are very personal and have something like a 99% read rate. If there is a better platform for getting people's attention, I'd love to know what it is.
So don't just sit on the sidelines during this year's election. Even if you've already voted there's a lot you can do to help your friends vote and I hope the Informed Voter helps you with that task.
Decision Journal