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- Snapchat is once again rolling out tools that will allow users to register to vote in the app for the upcoming presidential election.
- The TurboVote tool was also used in 2018 to register 450,000 people in the app, more than half of which turned out to vote, but this is the first time it will be integrated into Snap's new Minis feature.
- Other resources, like guides and voting information, will also be available for users.
- Snapchat has a largely young userbase, a demographic to whom voting can be a daunting task, and voting in the upcoming 2020 election will likely be even more difficult in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Snapchat is adding new features and guides to its app to help its young users register to vote in the upcoming 2020 election in November.
A company spokesperson told Business Insider in an email that the company is rolling out four features. The first, the Voter Registration 'Mini,' will allow users to register to vote directly in the app using the same integrated tool from 2018. The company previously partnered with Democracy Works' TurboVote feature that 450,000 people used to register for the 2018 midterms, per an Axios report. Of those, 57% turned out to vote according to the company. The tool will also track and monitor how many Snapchat users have registered to vote in the app.
There will also be a guide for walking users through how to vote by mail, how to cast a ballot, and how to register. It will also include resources from various organizations like the NAACP, ACLU, and Democracy Works. Another tool in partnership with BallotReady will help users prepare for the actual voting day by helping them decide if they should vote by mail or in-person given the COVID-19 pandemic and its social distancing precautions.
And lastly, Snapchat will offer users a checklist that will remind them of everything they need to do to register to vote. The "Voter Checklist" was also a key part of registering the thousands of users in 2018, according to a company spokesperson. The tools will roll out in September, according to Axios.
Snapchat has a vast base of Generation Z and Millennial users, a demographic that includes many newly-turned 18-year-olds, and younger generations have traditionally been less empowered to vote in American elections. The effects of the pandemic could make voting in the upcoming election even more difficult. Business Insider's Grace Panetta previously reported on ways to prepare for the November 2020 election, including requesting your mail-in ballot early.
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