For decades, election
authorities in the U.S. have been puzzled over the dwindling number of people
turning out for elections. Whether the reason is lack of interest, or lack of
access to polling centers, or some other impediment, low voter turnout is
proving to be such a pain point that it has received the attention of various
sectors, even the developer community.
Recently, several
innovative mobile applications have been released that aim to smooth the voter
registration process. One such notable app is the appropriately-named Register
to Vote which allows citizens in
California, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Arizona, Colorado, and Massachusetts to
register simply by scanning their state IDs.
It promises to complete the whole process in thirty seconds. The app’s
most obvious benefit is the elimination of the cumbersome step of having to
physically go to a registration to sign up.
Another app takes the
chatbot approach in helping voters register.
HelloVote allows voters simply enter their mobile phone number on this site, or text HELLO to 384–387, and the app takes them through the
filling out the voter registration form for their state. Some states allow direct electronic
submissions while some states require voters to fill out a form that HelloVote
will send back via via email or snail mail for later submission to the local
electoral body.
It’s not as if anyone is
likely to forget when Election Day is. But sometimes little nudge helps in to
actually go out and cast that vote. TurboVote provides that impetus by sending text and email reminders. Voters
get a notification the day before election day complete with ballot information
and information on the nearest polling center.
What’s even more interesting is the TurboVote Challenge, which get top
companies and leading organizations into a a nonpartisan advocacy to increase
voter participation.
Reversing the voter turnout
downtrend is a tall order yet innovation could provide just the needed spark to
get voters trooping back to the polling centers.
