Facebook gets out the vote, this time with mobile prompts and a real-time map

Once again, Facebook is prompting users to share that they voted, though this year the social network has introduced a mobile component and a real-time map of voters. Most voting-age Facebook users in the U.S. were met with a module atop their News Feed highlighting friends who have voted and including a button to share “I’m voting” or “I’m a voter.” This was available on mobile and desktop. Some users were prompted with a notification rather than a News Feed module. Users could then say they voted or search for their polling place. Facebook also created a map that updates in real-time showing where users are voting. The map lives on the new Facebook Stories website, along with a breakdown of age and gender of who is saying they’re voting. Facebook has been active in promoting participation in U.S. national elections since 2008, when 5.4 million people clicked an “I voted” button. More than 12 million people did the same during the 2010 midterm election. That year Facebook introduced a polling place locator as well. A recent study found that 340,000 additional people showed up at the ballot box in the U.S. in 2010 because of a voting message in their feed. Some users might not see the prompt to share that they voted today because they are part of a control group for a new study, but they can still view the real-time map or use a separate I'm Voting application created in partnership with CNN. Users can share who they're voting for and thoughts on various issues. The Open Graph-enabled app displays users’ answers and pledges in Ticker, Timeline and News Feed. Additionally, Facebook has provided CNN with metrics about the discussion of each presidential and vice presidential candidate on the social network. The companies also surveyed voting-age users around the time of the national conventions, presidential debates, election day and any other significant dates. This was similar to the partnership Facebook had with Politico during the Republican primaries. Facebook also previously worked with NBC News to implement research polls leading up to the primaries. The social network co-sponsored the GOP presidential debate before the New Hampshire Republican primary with NBC’s “Meet The Press” and partnered with R/GA to produce a political polling app, 2012 Matters: What Matters Most. Through the app, users could indicate which issues were most important to them and have their answers appear on the Nasdaq digital billboard in Times Square.

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Facebook gets out the vote, this time with mobile prompts and a real-time map

Brittany Darwell

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Brittany Darwell