TurboVote
{{Short description|American voter registration website}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = TurboVote
| headquarters = New York City
| location_country = United States
| services = Voter registration and information
| leader_title = CEO
| leader_name = Luis Lozada
| parent_organization = Democracy Works
| website = https://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.{{Cite news |last=Eversley |first=Melanie |date=November 27, 2019 |title=Can an App Drive More Voters to the Polls in 2020? This Entrepreneur Has High Hopes It Will |work=Fortune |url=https://fortune.com/2019/11/27/register-to-vote-2020-election-app/ |access-date=2022-07-22}}
History
TurboVote was first piloted at Boston University during the 2010 midterm elections.{{Cite news |date=September 13, 2011 |title=TurboVote: "Netflix" for Voter Registration |work=Harvard Magazine |url=https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2011/09/kennedy-school-alumni-launch-turbovote |access-date=2022-07-23}}
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.
As of 2019, TurboVote has 51 employees and is based out of its Brooklyn, New York City office.
Luis Lozada was hired as CEO in 2022 after previously serving as General Counsel for two years.{{Cite web |title=Meet Democracy Works CEO Luis Lozada! |url=https://www.democracy.works/news/meet-democracy-works-ceo-luis-lozada |access-date=2023-10-10 |website=Democracy Works}}
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.{{Cite web |title=About TurboVote |url=https://www.democracy.works/turbovote-about |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=Democracy Works}} Its services are available in English and Spanish.{{Cite news |last=Sutton |first=Kelsey |date=June 27, 2016 |title=With help from President Obama, BuzzFeed launches get-out-the-vote initiative |work=Politico |url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2016/06/with-help-from-obama-buzzfeed-launches-get-out-the-vote-initiative-224844 |access-date=2022-07-23}}
TurboVote has partnered with more than three hundred institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, and companies to register more than ten million voters. Some partners sponsor mailings, allowing TurboVote to send legal paperwork to voters by mail.{{Cite news |last=Davidi |first=Adam |date=October 24, 2013 |title=Bringing innovation in government to life: Q&A with Kathryn Peters |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2013/oct/24/innovation-government-kathryn-peters-turbovote |access-date=2022-07-23}}
Democracy Works' partners have included Google, Snapchat, Twitter, Microsoft, Amazon, reddit, WordPress, Tumblr,{{Cite web |last=Pierce |first=David |date=November 3, 2020 |title=The messy world of data behind tech's campaign to get out the vote |url=https://www.protocol.com/ballotpedia-ballotready-voting-data |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=Protocol}} BuzzFeed with Barack Obama, Spotify,{{Cite news |last=Kuffel |first=Veronica |date=November 5, 2020 |title=Music industry creates initiatives to increase voter turnout |work=The Badger Herald |url=https://badgerherald.com/artsetc/2020/11/05/music-industry-creates-initiatives-to-increase-voter-turnout/ |access-date=2022-07-23}} Starbucks, Airbnb, Target,{{Cite news |date=March 23, 2016 |title=Starbucks, Airbnb, Democracy Works aim to boost U.S. voter turnout |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/starbucks-voter-turnout/starbucks-airbnb-democracy-works-aim-to-boost-u-s-voter-turnout-idUKL2N16V06W |access-date=2022-07-23}} Uber,{{Cite news |last=Rose Dickey |first=Megan |date=September 15, 2020 |title=Uber wants to help its drivers and delivery workers register to vote |work=TechCrunch |url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/15/uber-wants-to-help-its-drivers-and-delivery-workers-register-to-vote/ |access-date=2022-07-23}} Instagram,{{Cite news |last=Gartenberg |first=Chaim |date=September 18, 2018 |title=Instagram will use ads to help users register to vote |work=The Verge |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/18/17874508/instagram-ads-register-to-vote-election-day-story-sticker-turbovote |access-date=2022-07-23}} and Lady Gaga.{{Cite news |last=Darmon |first=Aynslee |date=October 27, 2020 |title=Lady Gaga Makes A Statement With Viral Voting Video |work=ET Canada |url=https://etcanada.com/news/707021/lady-gaga-makes-a-statement-with-viral-voting-video/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101045359/https://etcanada.com/news/707021/lady-gaga-makes-a-statement-with-viral-voting-video/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 1, 2020 |access-date=2022-07-23}}
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.{{Cite web |title=2022 Impact Report |url=https://assets.website-files.com/632cd84b85cf32db126401dd/645b0b759a35a8922d3b709c_DW%202022%20Impact%20Report.pdf |access-date=2023-10-10 |website=Democracy Works}}
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.{{Cite news |last1=Rodriguez |first1=Bianca |last2=Zaiets |first2=Karina |last3=Elkin |first3=Elizabeth |date=November 6, 2018 |title=Many voters confused over polling locations this year |work=The Columbia Missourian |url=https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/many-voters-confused-over-polling-locations-this-year/article_bf23aca6-e1f3-11e8-964c-ab4962a66bac.html |access-date=2022-07-23}}
In 2018, scammers posed as employees of TurboVote, phoning prospective voters in Georgia and Washington in search of personal information and money.{{Cite news |last=Klepper |first=David |date=October 16, 2020 |title=Scammers seize on US election, but it's not votes they want |work=The Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-virus-outbreak-joe-biden-senate-elections-media-f32410451f45102ddd4a82ebec8ac746 |access-date=2022-07-23}}
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.{{Cite news |last=Huseman |first=Jessica |date=March 11, 2019 |title=Facebook and Twitter Turned to TurboVote to Drive Registrations. Officials Want Them to Turn Away. |work=ProPublica |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/facebook-and-twitter-turned-to-turbovote-to-drive-registrations-officials-want-them-to-turn-away |access-date=2022-07-23}}