An election year is about more than just voting for the next president and vice president -- candidates for the House of Representatives, Senate and local jurisdiction, plus other ballot initiatives, are all part of Election Day.
But these smaller races don't necessarily get all the media coverage that Barack Obama and Mitt Romney stir up, which means that you may find yourself in a lurch at the voting booth.
HeadCount and PollVault are trying to make sure you aren't left clueless at the polls, with the launch of the See Your Ballot app.
The app lets voters study their ballots long before entering the voting booth or at the last minute while walking into a polling station on Nov. 6.
Entering your zip code into 'See Your Ballot' will provide the races, amendments and propositions that will appear on your state and federal ballot this election season -- giving you ample time to do research before casting a vote. Users can also crowdsource ballot advice by seeing which candidates friends or organizations are supporting.
The app gives the user the ability to search for groups such as The National Rifle Association, Planned Parenthood or the New York Times. Users can then see which candidates those organizations have endorsed. You can even search through Facebook friends to see which, for example, state house candidate a classmate or cousin have chosen to vote for.
Over time, the app's "advisor choices" will expand to include everyone from celebrities, to Hollywood directors, to Washington power brokers. Candidate choices will only be accessible for people who permit the app access, keeping voter privacy intact.
“PollVault helps voters increase their knowledge of races that are less publicized than the presidential race, but no less important,” Sarah Lugaric, PollVault Director of Strategy and Partnerships, said. “PollVault lowers the bar for participation in the political process by enabling anyone with an Internet connection and a few minutes of time to start making voting decisions that better reflect their values.”
How do you think this app could help the voting process? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Thumbnail courtesy of Flickr, League of Women Voters of California.