eVoter.com is the unbiased, non-partisan election information site where voters can instantly generate a personalized sample ballot, view candidate profiles, make contributions, view endorsements, find polling places, request absentee ballots, and more.
eVoter was designed to provide voters with concise unbiased information on every candidate & measure on their ballot and has quickly become the leading online destination for election information, serving hundreds of thousands of voters in California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The eVoter.com service will be expanding to include all 50 states for the 2012 election cycle, making it the single source for national election information.
With an Advisory Board including David Wilhelm, former Democratic National Committee Chair and Jo Ann Davidson, former Republican National Committee Co-Chair, eVoter is uniquely positioned to take advantage of not only the historic transition to online campaigning, but also the new political climate, one in which voters are increasingly looking online for relevant and unbiased political information.
In 2010 eVoter partnered with major media outlets across the country, including NBC Local Media, Yahoo! and leading regional newspapers such as the Chicago Sun-Times to power their online voter information. This ensured that candidate profiles and organization endorsements received maximum exposure – when motivated voters are actually making their choices – all for a very minimal cost to candidates and free for voters.
eVoter is the first online service to provide a single destination where:
- Voters can instantly generate a personalized Sample Ballot online containing the Candidates and ballot measures for their voting district. Voters can view candidate profiles, filter candidates/measures by organizational endorsements, directly message candidates, contribute to campaigns, and support candidates.
- Candidates can communicate their positions on issues to voters, fundraise, manage their online campaign, and gather grassroots support using tools that were previously either too costly or cumbersome.
- Organizations can publicize their endorsements, interact with voters, and aid campaign fundraising.
- We believe that eVoter will change the way elections are run. It will change the way voters access information and change how candidates campaign. In 2008, the Obama Campaign used the Internet effectively – but it was a major national campaign that had access to resources that are typically inaccessible to the vast majority of political campaigns in the United States. We think that the public’s Internet involvement in the Obama (and other) campaigns – through Internet contributions, Facebook campaigns, etc. – shows that voters are hungry for information and are increasingly using the Internet to find it.
Serving Voters
On eVoter, Voters can generate their own personalized interactive Sample Ballot, learn about and support candidates and browse organizational endorsements – all at no charge. Voters have the ability to:
- Create, view, save and print their own personalized interactive Sample Ballots
- Request a vote-by-mail (Absentee Ballot) application (where allowed by law)
- Search directly for any candidate by name
- View official candidate information as well as candidate created Profiles (including the ability to share them online)
- Offer a range of support to select candidates, from yard signs to campaign contributions
- Directly message a candidate and receive messages to their eVoter™ account (registration required)
- Learn which organizations have endorsed a candidate
- Browse organizational endorsements of candidates and measures
Serving Candidates
Candidates and ballot measure committees can use eVoter to publicize their campaigns through custom profiles. Candidates who register on eVoter can purchase an interactive Profile which goes well beyond the official ballot descriptions.
We charge candidates a low rate per election cycle. This allows the smallest down-ballot races (such as city council, judicial, or school board races) to have access to the benefits of Internet campaigning and fundraising at a price which is far less than sending direct mail, putting up signs or placing ads in local papers.
Candidates can manage their accounts and Profile online through a Candidate Dashboard. They can:
- Create their own unique Internet address – i.e. http://www.evoter.com/voteforme
- Create a customized profile including images, endorsements and more
- Receive messages from voters and send messages to registered supporters and contributors
- Solicit and Receive contributions on their Profile by signing up with our affiliated payment processor.
- View statistics and summary information about their Profile visitors and contributors
Serving Organizations
Organizations can use eVoter as the most cost-effective way of publicizing their endorsements widely.
For Organizations, including political parties and issue-based organizations that endorse political candidates or measures, eVoter provides one of the most effective means for highlighting the candidates they have endorsed. There are thousands of local, state and federal organizations that endorse candidates and ballot measures. Some of them currently mail out slate cards and/or include their endorsements in their publications and websites. However, mailing out slate cards to large numbers of people is prohibitively expensive and without promotion, most organizations are left with websites that are rarely visited and thus virtually useless.
The cost of an organization listing its endorsements on eVoter varies based on the number of Candidates they are endorsing. We keep our fees low to encourage participation.
