Vote.org
Vote.org, formerly Long Distance Voter, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in January 2008 in the United States by a group of professional investigators and voter advocates that initially sought to provide greater access to absentee voting information online.[1][2] Long Distance Voter was volunteer-led, but Vote.org employs full time staff. Vote.org provides online voter guides for every state, which include voter registration forms, and absentee ballot applications, as well as information on deadlines, directions, and ID and residency requirements.[3]
In 2008 the volunteers assisted in registering 20,000 voters and helped 130,000 registered voters obtain absentee ballots. Long Distance Voter has partnerships with voter advocacy groups Rock the Vote and CountMore.[citation needed]
Long Distance Voter relaunched in April 2016 as Vote.org with funding from Y Combinator.[4][2][5][6]
In March 2018, Vote.org started a campaign to have companies allow their employees time off on Election Day 2018 in order to vote.[4][7]
In 2020, Vote.org's founder and CEO, Debra Cleaver,[8][9] was fired by the organization's board, which caused the halt of the organization's potential partnerships and millions of expected contributions from Cleaver's donors.[10]
References
- ^ "Long Distance Voter Goes the Distance". Teen Vogue. 2008-10-24. Archived from the original on 2018-05-11. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
- ^ a b Vetter, Moira (2016-05-13). "What Can Non-Profit Startup Vote.org Do With Y Combinator Seed Funding In 178 Days?". Forbes.com. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
- ^ Thorpe, JR (2017-03-07). "Debra Cleaver, Founder Of Vote.org, Is Making Women's History Now". Bustle. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
- ^ a b Steinmetz, Katy (2018-03-12). "Should Employers Give You Election Day Off? These Companies Think So". Time. Archived from the original on 2018-05-11. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
- ^ "Vote.org is a non-profit that wants to get the U.S. to 100% voter turnout". Y Combinator. 2016-05-17. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
- ^ Fitts, Alexis Sobel (2016-11-06). "This Y Combinator-backed company wants to redesign the voting process for the digital age". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
- ^ von Bernuth, Lauren (2018-05-08). "Companies are Signing Up to 'Party Down For Democracy' & Make Election Day a Holiday". Citizen Truth. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
- ^ SLODYSKO, WILL WEISSERT and BRIAN. "Biden wins Florida as coronavirus disrupts primary voting". www.wcjb.com. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
- ^ "WATCH: Primary election coverage for Florida, Illinois and Arizona". PBS NewsHour. 2020-03-17. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
- ^ Schleifer, Theodore (2020-04-28). "One of America's key voting rights groups plunged into chaos when it was needed most". Vox. Retrieved 2020-05-07.