Snapchat introduces in-app voter registration to engage younger voters

The in-app registration option comes after the company unveiled in June what it dubbed “Minis,” a suite of miniature applications that operate within the app itself and are designed by third-party developers. The in-app registration feature will be one of those Minis and is being done in coordination with TurboVote, according to the Verge.

Additionally, the app has partnered with BallotReady and will have a “Before You Vote” Mini that informs users of the picture-based app about how to vote, where to vote, and what early voting and mail-in voting options are available in their specific state.

The company is also rolling out a “Voter Guide” that will feature resources from organizations like the NAACP, ACLU, BallotReady, DemocracyWorks, APIA Vote, I am a Voter, Vote Early Day, National Voter Registration Day, and others.

“This effort is especially critical heading into the 2020 election, as COVID-19 will disrupt many of the voting engagement efforts that usually help first-time voters register on college campuses,” a Snapchat spokesperson said in a company statement provided to the Washington Examiner.

The features will launch to a wide audience. The company claims that its 100 million U.S. users include a whopping 75% of people between the ages of 13 and 34. Among its total U.S. user base, Snapchat said that 80% are of voting age and that some 300,000 to 500,000 of its users turn 18 every month.

Snapchat’s new features piggy-back off of its work during the 2018 midterm elections. That year, the company sent out a direct message to all users 18 and older that included a link to a TurboVote website allowing them to register outside of the app. It claimed to have registered about 450,000 people and said that of those who registered, some 50% ended up voting in November.