Democracy Works

Building tools to upgrade the voting experience — so that no one misses an election.

The Problem

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 60 percent of non-voters in 2012 failed to cast their ballots because of process issues such as lack of time, registration problems, and hard-to-access polling places. At a time when the Internet has simplified many aspects of our lives and empowered groups and individuals in a multitude of ways, the simple act of voting can still be so complicated and confusing that many people either can’t cast a ballot or give up trying.

The Solution

Democracy Works is dedicated to the idea that voting should fit the way we live. To that end, the organization’s team of software developers, public policy wonks, and civic organizers builds tools designed to upgrade the infrastructure of democracy and improve the voting experience for voters and election officials alike. Its products so far are Turbovote, an online service to help every American vote in every election—local, state, and national; and Ballot Scout, which helps local election administrators track absentee ballots by the tens of thousands as they travel through the mail, providing transparency in the vote-by-mail process. “Our vision is straightforward: Make voting a simple, seamless experience for all Americans so that no one misses an election.”