Spring Break
Facebook adds first voting application
BeCounted student-developed resource for registration, election information
Janie Boschma
Issue date: 9/29/08 Section: News
Voting for the first time, or even the second, doesn't have to be an intimidating process.
That's why a team of 20 Stanford University undergraduate students have developed BeCounted, the first voting resource available through a Facebook application.
BeCounted is a non-partisan voting tool that helps voters decide where and how to register and vote, said Ellen Cerf, BeCounted's media director.
"It just tries to identify all of the red tape if you're trying to absentee," Cerf said, a Minneapolis native and sophomore at Stanford University. "I can't stress enough how easy to use it is."
Sophomore Jessie Hazer said since she hasn't voted before, she doesn't know how to go about registering or voting. She said she would probably consider adding the application to learn more.
"I don't think a lot of people know what to do to vote and the steps involved," Hazer said. "It will help people to understand better if they do want to vote at home."
The application first asks students which university they attend, their home state and whether or not they have registered. If they attend university out of state, the application makes a recommendation for which state to register and vote in, based on how competitive the presidential race will be in that state. The results are based on data from 2004 election results, 2004 Associated Press rankings and reports, and predictions on party competitiveness for the 2008 election.
For example, one vote in Wisconsin would be more influential than one vote in Minnesota, according to BeCounted's research. BeCounted lists Wisconsin as the fourth most competitive state in the upcoming election and Minnesota as the 10th. In that case, Cerf said a Minnesota native attending UW-Eau Claire might opt to vote in Eau Claire rather than voting by absentee ballot, Cerf said.
"It encourages students to be thoughtful on where they vote," she said.
From there, BeCounted asks the user whether they prefer to vote at the polls or by absentee ballot. If they prefer to vote at the polls, BeCounted provides a registration form created by RockTheVote, to print out and mail to the appropriate address listed. If they choose to vote by absentee, the application provides a list of requirements to do so in that individual's state, and then directs them to the registration form.
RockTheVote is a Washington D.C. based initiative that encourages America's youth to vote. The registration form is also available on their Web site, rockthevote.org, and on Facebook at http://apps.new.facebook.com/registernow.
BeCounted is one word, and is the first hit returned from the Facebook search bar, or find it directly at http://apps.facebook.com/becounted.
After users have registered, they can invite their friends, track their progress and encourage them to finish the registration process.
The application has been fully running since the first week of September, and has more than 7,500 users from 45 states. However, as of Sunday afternoon, there were only 21 users from Wisconsin, none of which attend UW-Eau Claire. Cerf said she hopes the application will soon catch on both in Eau Claire and across the state.
"What we've found is that a lot of people don't know about it."
That's why a team of 20 Stanford University undergraduate students have developed BeCounted, the first voting resource available through a Facebook application.
BeCounted is a non-partisan voting tool that helps voters decide where and how to register and vote, said Ellen Cerf, BeCounted's media director.
"It just tries to identify all of the red tape if you're trying to absentee," Cerf said, a Minneapolis native and sophomore at Stanford University. "I can't stress enough how easy to use it is."
Sophomore Jessie Hazer said since she hasn't voted before, she doesn't know how to go about registering or voting. She said she would probably consider adding the application to learn more.
"I don't think a lot of people know what to do to vote and the steps involved," Hazer said. "It will help people to understand better if they do want to vote at home."
The application first asks students which university they attend, their home state and whether or not they have registered. If they attend university out of state, the application makes a recommendation for which state to register and vote in, based on how competitive the presidential race will be in that state. The results are based on data from 2004 election results, 2004 Associated Press rankings and reports, and predictions on party competitiveness for the 2008 election.
For example, one vote in Wisconsin would be more influential than one vote in Minnesota, according to BeCounted's research. BeCounted lists Wisconsin as the fourth most competitive state in the upcoming election and Minnesota as the 10th. In that case, Cerf said a Minnesota native attending UW-Eau Claire might opt to vote in Eau Claire rather than voting by absentee ballot, Cerf said.
"It encourages students to be thoughtful on where they vote," she said.
From there, BeCounted asks the user whether they prefer to vote at the polls or by absentee ballot. If they prefer to vote at the polls, BeCounted provides a registration form created by RockTheVote, to print out and mail to the appropriate address listed. If they choose to vote by absentee, the application provides a list of requirements to do so in that individual's state, and then directs them to the registration form.
RockTheVote is a Washington D.C. based initiative that encourages America's youth to vote. The registration form is also available on their Web site, rockthevote.org, and on Facebook at http://apps.new.facebook.com/registernow.
BeCounted is one word, and is the first hit returned from the Facebook search bar, or find it directly at http://apps.facebook.com/becounted.
After users have registered, they can invite their friends, track their progress and encourage them to finish the registration process.
The application has been fully running since the first week of September, and has more than 7,500 users from 45 states. However, as of Sunday afternoon, there were only 21 users from Wisconsin, none of which attend UW-Eau Claire. Cerf said she hopes the application will soon catch on both in Eau Claire and across the state.
"What we've found is that a lot of people don't know about it."
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