2024
Impact Report
Letter from the CEO
Dear Friends,
2024 marked Democracy Works’ fourth presidential election cycle since our founding in 2010. We started with TurboVote, sending election reminders via text and email to college students. Later, we expanded to help businesses keep their employees and customers informed and excited to participate in elections. In 2018, Democracy Works assumed leadership of the Voting Information Project (“VIP”), making polling places, early vote and ballot drop-off locations accessible to all voters.
Today, we are the longest-running civic tech nonprofit provider of comprehensive election information. We have seen how Americans increasingly rely on technology for accurate information about when, where, and how to vote, and what is on their ballot. Social media platforms and search engines have joined traditional news outlets as the top sources where voters seek election information.
Our mission is to meet voters where they are to increase civic participation in the United States. In 2024, we delivered essential election information to millions of voters through our partnerships across social media, search engines, and AI platforms. We supported state election officials with improved tools and by sharing critical information in response to emergencies. We also worked with hundreds of universities, community organizations, and other groups who use TurboVote to reach and engage their audiences to vote in every election.
For 15 years, Democracy Works has helped provide reliable election information to your favorite digital platforms – even if you did not know we were the source. The facts on when, where and how to vote can change quickly — due to weather events, public safety concerns, redistricting, legislation, or executive orders — but for 15 years, you have been able to count on us to keep voters informed through the sites, apps, and groups that they trust. We adapt our services to meet voters’ evolving expectations, and as new platforms emerge, we remain committed to ensuring all voters can find accurate information about when, where, and how to vote.
Our distribution network gives us insight into where and how voters prefer to receive information. By understanding what drives people to vote, we are in the best position to address their needs.
While many underestimate — or even completely overlook — the importance of elections in 2025, we will keep improving the digital tools that help reliable information reach voters through the channels they trust. This year, we are focusing more on local elections and creating tools to help our partners better serve their communities. The new presidential administration is taking an expansive view of its power over matters in local communities, making it critical for voters to participate in every election this year — no matter how small.
Thank you for your continued support,
Sincerely,
OUR IMPACT
OUR IMPACT
With more than 150 million US-based users, TikTok was a major source of information for voters in 2024. We teamed up with the social media platform to ensure that these users had access to accurate election and voting guidance whenever they searched for information about these topics on the app.
The Democracy Works Elections API helped power TikTok’s 2024 Election Center with state-by-state guidance on how to register to vote, check your registration, vote by mail, vote early, and more.
The primary and general elections of 2024 were widely considered to be the first election cycles of the generative AI era. To help ensure that generative AI users were safeguarded from inaccurate information about voting and elections, we pursued partnerships with emerging tech platforms.
Anthropic, the company behind the AI tool Claude, was the first generative AI company to use our data to protect voters. When US-based users asked Claude questions about elections and voting, a pop-up allowed them to be redirected to TurboVote, where they would find useful, timely voting guidance for every state.
We collaborated with Perplexity, a leading search and answer AI platform, to help power their Election Information Hub. This feature launched before the election, offering users reliable insights on candidates and ballot measures provided by the Democracy Works Elections API, along with election results from The Associated Press. With its simple, interactive interface, the Election Information Hub proved to be popular with voters, earning nearly four million page views in just two days.
Unlike typical AI applications, which often pull information from training data, Perplexity’s Election Information Hub was built on verified data sources like Democracy Works and The Associated Press. This careful curation of sources and live integration of data represents a step forward in using AI responsibly for civic engagement.
As we’ve done in previous elections, Democracy Works partnered with Google to ensure millions of Americans could access accurate voting information in 2024. When Google Search users looked for information on the voter registration process in their state, they were able to find aggregated resources, deadlines, and information from state election offices, provided by Democracy Works.
Voters could also use Search to find in-person voting locations and ballot drop boxes. Voting location information was also available on Google Maps, which allowed users to look up a specific voting location to find more information about hours and the types of voting offered there. Voting location data was provided by the Voting Information Project, a partnership between Democracy Works and state and local election administrators. We gather voting location data directly from government sources and provide links to state election sites to ensure voters can access reliable, authoritative information about where to cast a ballot.
In the leadup to Election Day, Democracy Works collaborated with Nextdoor to integrate data from the Democracy Works Elections API into Nextdoor’s platform, ensuring millions of users had access to accurate, up-to-date voting information directly from government sources. Through this partnership, Democracy Works powered several key features on Nextdoor's platform, including:
- an Elections Map showing polling locations
- registration deadline reminders
- state-specific voter registration information
This integration complemented Nextdoor's comprehensive election season preparations, which also included enhanced community guidelines to support constructive civic dialogue.
With more than 150 million US-based users, TikTok was a major source of information for voters in 2024. We teamed up with the social media platform to ensure that these users had access to accurate election and voting guidance whenever they searched for information about these topics on the app.
The Democracy Works Elections API helped power TikTok’s 2024 Election Center with state-by-state guidance on how to register to vote, check your registration, vote by mail, vote early, and more.
“TikTok said in a release that its Elections Center…has been visited more than seven million times since it was introduced in January. TikTok developed the page in conjunction with Democracy Works, a nonpartisan nonprofit that helps voters find accurate information online.”
The primary and general elections of 2024 were widely considered to be the first election cycles of the generative AI era. To help ensure that generative AI users were safeguarded from inaccurate information about voting and elections, we pursued partnerships with emerging tech platforms.
Anthropic, the company behind the AI tool Claude, was the first generative AI company to use our data to protect voters. When US-based users asked Claude questions about elections and voting, a pop-up allowed them to be redirected to TurboVote, where they would find useful, timely voting guidance for every state.
We collaborated with Perplexity, a leading search and answer AI platform, to help power their Election Information Hub. This feature launched before the election, offering users reliable insights on candidates and ballot measures provided by the Democracy Works Elections API, along with election results from The Associated Press. With its simple, interactive interface, the Election Information Hub proved to be popular with voters, earning nearly four million page views in just two days.
Unlike typical AI applications, which often pull information from training data, Perplexity’s Election Information Hub was built on verified data sources like Democracy Works and The Associated Press. This careful curation of sources and live integration of data represents a step forward in using AI responsibly for civic engagement.
“Dr. Banafa also applauded Perplexity’s partnering with AP and Democracy Works for this initiative, which is intended to give the AI model authoritative, up-to-date election data. He noted that using such trusted data sources lends credibility of the provided information and reduces reliance on less dependable outlets or data suppliers.”
As we’ve done in previous elections, Democracy Works partnered with Google to ensure voters could access accurate election information in 2024. When Google Search users looked for information on the voter registration process in their state, they were able to find aggregated resources, deadlines, and information from state election offices, provided by Democracy Works.
Voters could also use Search to find in-person voting locations and ballot drop boxes. Voting location information was also available on Google Maps, which allowed users to look up a specific voting location to find more information about hours and the types of voting offered there. Voting location data was provided by the Voting Information Project, a partnership between Democracy Works and state and local election administrators. We gather voting location data directly from government sources and provide links to state election sites to ensure voters can access reliable, authoritative information about where to cast a ballot.
In the leadup to Election Day, Democracy Works collaborated with Nextdoor to integrate data from the Democracy Works Elections API into Nextdoor’s platform, ensuring millions of users had access to accurate, up-to-date voting information directly from government sources. Through this partnership, Democracy Works powered several key features on Nextdoor's platform, including:
- an Elections Map showing polling locations
- registration deadline reminders
- state-specific voter registration information
This integration complemented Nextdoor's comprehensive election season preparations, which also included enhanced community guidelines to support constructive civic dialogue.
Powering Voter Engagement with TurboVote
In 2024, Democracy Works provided TurboVote to hundreds of campus, nonprofit, and corporate partners, helping them get out the vote by reaching their audience with reliable election information. For some, that’s through a co-branded TurboVote page; for others, that means embedding it in their own website. Partners can even create their own customized voting website or tools, powered by TurboVote and/or our elections data. Take a look at how some of our partners took advantage of TurboVote last year:
Inspiring Corporate
Advocates: Civic Alliance
Founded by Democracy Works and the CAA Foundation, the Civic Alliance is America’s leading nonpartisan business coalition focused on strengthening democracy through employee and customer civic engagement.
initiative integrated:
Time to Vote
virtual
roundtables
new resources published
and delivered to members
corporate
presentations
corporate newsletters
and member memos
corporate poll
working efforts
Corporate Leaders Champion Voter Engagement with Civic Alliance
Microsoft’s approach to civic engagement in 2024 went beyond voter registration, fostering a culture of participation among employees while directly supporting voters.
For employees, Microsoft promoted nonpartisan volunteer opportunities, encouraging voter outreach, letter-writing campaigns, and poll worker sign-ups. Beyond internal efforts, Microsoft partnered with organizations to expand voter access nationwide. Through collaborations with Power the Polls, Lyft, and AAPD’s Rev Up Campaign, the company helped recruit poll workers and support accessible transportation to polling places, ensuring more voters could cast their ballots safely.
“At Microsoft, we believe that voter participation is essential to a thriving democracy. Our partnership with Civic Alliance has been instrumental in amplifying our civic engagement efforts, enabling us to mobilize employees, support voter participation, and drive meaningful impact.”
Director of Corporate Civic Responsibility at Microsoft
Patagonia has been persuading its community to vote for the planet since the 1970s. Since 2016, they have given US employees a paid day off on Election Day, and they co-founded the Time to Vote initiative in 2018. In 2024, to inspire more awareness and engagement, Patagonia closed its stores, warehouse, and offices on Vote Early Day, October 29. Employees received a paid day off and were encouraged to vote early and volunteer. Volunteer opportunities for employees included working with civic organizations such as the League of Conservation Voters.
We joined forces with Civic Alliance in 2024 to provide better resources to Time to Vote member companies and to streamline communications,” said J.J. Huggins, media & PR manager at Patagonia and an advisor for Time to Vote. “Civic Alliance is a wonderful resource and thought partner, and I look forward to many more years of working together to galvanize the business community in support of our nation’s democracy.”
View from the
Help Desk
At the height of the 2024 general election season, TurboVote Help Desk staff answered thousands of questions from American voters hoping to make their voices heard at the ballot box. This year, users had lots of questions about registering to vote after a move, finding voting locations, voter ID requirements, checking the status of absentee ballots, and election security.
Help desk staff heard from a significant number of college students with last-minute questions about whether they could vote at their home address or their school address. Our team also assisted folks with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, and residents of nursing homes who needed information about polling place accessibility.
We received dozens of heartfelt messages from users thanking us for our work. Many did not realize that their questions would be answered by real people rather than automated responses, and they were excited to connect with a friendly DW staff member. Here’s a sample of what they told us:
“Thank you for all the notifications! With the current state of politics, I've started voting in all elections, not just presidential. Your notifications help me stay on top of them.”
“Thank you so much! I'm the first U.S citizen in my family and have always felt embarrassed to ask people how to vote while I'm in school. Thank you for the work you do!”
“Thanks so much for your reminder. I have voted all my adult life. You've helped me keep that record intact which is especially vital especially since voting is so necessary to preserving democracy.”
“Thank you for all the notifications! With the current state of politics, I've started voting in all elections, not just presidential. Your notifications help me stay on top of them.”
“Thank you so much! I'm the first U.S citizen in my family and have always felt embarrassed to ask people how to vote while I'm in school. Thank you for the work you do!”
“Thanks so much for your reminder. I have voted all my adult life. You've helped me keep that record intact which is especially vital especially since voting is so necessary to preserving democracy.”
Rapid Response Voter Engagement
Emergencies can wreak havoc on voting plans. Last fall, thousands of Americans in the Southeast faced flooding, power outages, and property damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton just in time for election season. In the aftermath of these natural disasters, we mobilized our team to assist TurboVote users with up-to-date election information in their states.
Using our robust SMS and email notification system, Key Changes, and new Urgent Notices feature, we alerted users about the following emergency measures:
extended voter registration deadlines in South Carolina
expanded vote-by-mail options in certain Florida counties
instructions for North Carolina residents whose voter ID documents were lost or destroyed during the crisis
Our help desk staff was on call to answer questions from voters impacted by these natural disasters and direct them to reliable sources of information as they navigated this challenging time.
We also informed users about last-minute changes to voting procedures and locations as Election Day approached. Our outreach included notifications for the following user groups:
Bucks County, PA residents whose early voting deadlines were extended
Erie County, PA residents whose mail ballot options were expanded due to a lawsuit
Missouri residents whose voting locations changed due to flash flooding on Election Day
Our help desk staff was on call to answer questions from voters impacted by these natural disasters and direct them to reliable sources of information as they navigated this challenging time.
Hurricane Helene
How did TurboVote help?
When Hurricane Helene swept through Western North Carolina, it disrupted daily life for thousands of residents—damaging infrastructure, displacing families, and creating uncertainty about the upcoming election. For those affected, casting a ballot became more complicated, with changing polling locations, mail delays, and other logistical challenges.
TurboVote helped thousands of affected voters navigate these obstacles by delivering timely, reliable election information.
36% looked up their Election Day or early voting location to ensure they could still cast their ballot.
21% searched for post-election guidance, such as tracking their mail ballot.
20% requested a vote-by-mail ballot, allowing them to vote even if they had relocated.
Even in challenging circumstances, access to accurate voting information makes a difference. TurboVote provided the tools and resources voters needed to stay informed and engaged—ensuring they could participate in the election, no matter the hurdles they faced.
Voting rules reminder
in the Detroit area
With late legal challenges affecting how absentee ballots would be processed in Michigan, many voters faced uncertainty about whether their mail ballots would be counted. To help Wayne County voters stay on track, Democracy Works sent a special TurboVote notification reminding them to complete and sign their mail ballots correctly—ensuring they met all requirements.
Voters who received this notification were at least twice as likely as other Michigan voters to:
Find early voting locations
Look up their Election Day polling place
Search for post-voting guidance, such as tracking their mail ballot
Amid shifting election rules, timely and accurate information helped voters make confident decisions. Whether by adjusting their voting plans or ensuring their ballot met all requirements, TurboVote gave voters the tools they needed to successfully participate in the election.
Supporting Election Officials
Democracy Works bridges the gap between election offices and voters by distributing official election data to platforms people trust. By ensuring up-to-date information and guidance appear on platforms voters already use, we enhance voter confidence and reduce the administrative strain on local election offices.
I again say thank you to the whole team at Democracy Works for giving us the opportunity to share Michigan election information through the Voting Information Project. We have been partners with the Voting Information Project for over 14 years now, and we’re anticipating many to come. This couldn’t be possible without your help.
Department Analyst, State of Michigan
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My experience was wonderful with [the Democracy Works team. They] helped me so much in getting my information into the group. [They] made the process simple and went above and beyond to make sure we had the resources we needed and in turn this helped the voters of Alabama have more resources to stay informed during the 2024 Elections.
Supervisor of Voter Registration,
Alabama Secretary of State's Office
It is great to work with a partner committed to getting the information correct like Democracy Works. Between TurboVote and the Voting Information Tool, we appreciate the work Democracy Works does to connect voters with accurate voting information directly from state and local election offices.
Co-Executive Director,
New York State Board of Elections
I again say thank you to the whole team at Democracy Works for giving us the opportunity to share Michigan election information through the Voting Information Project. We have been partners with the Voting Information Project for over 14 years now, and we’re anticipating many to come. This couldn’t be possible without your help.
Department Analyst,
State of Michigan
My experience was wonderful with [the Democracy Works team. They] helped me so much in getting my information into the group. [They] made the process simple and went above and beyond to make sure we had the resources we needed and in turn this helped the voters of Alabama have more resources to stay informed during the 2024 Elections.
Supervisor of Voter Registration,
Alabama Secretary of State's Office
It is great to work with a partner committed to getting the information correct like Democracy Works. Between TurboVote and the Voting Information Tool, we appreciate the work Democracy Works does to connect voters with accurate voting information directly from state and local election offices.
Co-Executive Director,
New York State Board of Elections
Election Office Impact
Election officials play a critical role in ensuring voters have accurate, up-to-date information about where and how to cast their ballots. Democracy Works helps amplify their efforts by making this trusted information easily accessible through the Voting Information Tool (VIT).
In the week leading up to the election, voters conducted 2.2 million polling place lookup searches through VIT. Twelve states incorporated VIT into their information distribution strategies, with California, Colorado, Oregon, and Virginia using it as their primary voting location lookup tool.
By ensuring voters could quickly and easily find official polling locations, VIT helped streamline the voting process and reinforced the reliability of election information nationwide.
A CULTURE OF INNOVATION
A CULTURE OF INNOVATION
Expanding TurboVote Capabilities
Democracy Works partnered with Ballotpedia, the leading source for reliable non partisan ballot information, to provide TurboVote users with data about contests, candidates and, ballot measures. With ballot information, TurboVote partners can show voters what's at stake in upcoming elections and motivate them to participate.
Ballot information summaries are generated based on the address associated with a TurbVote account, the address entered by new users, or a selected state if no address is provided. After inputting this information, users are guided to the appropriate Voting Hubs and Election Guides, where they can find lists of contests and offices and topics for any upcoming ballot measures. For more information, they can select "See What's On Your Ballot" and enter their address to scroll through the list of ballot measures and candidates for office.
While Democracy Works previously only notified teenagers they were eligible to register when they turned 18, we now provide data to help future voters aged 15-17 register as soon as their states allow. Preregistration data — available through TurboVote and the Democracy Works Elections API – includes state age minimums for voter registration, dates for upcoming elections, state voting registration requirements and deadlines, and the registration methods available to people under 18. We also provide links to state online voter registration portals, mail-in registration forms, and other official sources with detailed guidance to help people under 18 navigate the registration process for the first time.
By leveraging our preregistration data, organizations and platforms with high youth engagement can help future voters understand their options to register to vote before they turn 18. These groups can also convince eligible teenagers to register as soon as possible, help them understand the registration requirements in their state, and remind them to complete the registration process and vote in elections once they are eligible
Democracy Works created a new election reminder for the 2024 General Election: Vote ASAP. This addition builds upon our Upcoming Election and Vote Tomorrow reminders by encouraging voters to take action as soon as voting options become available.
The Vote ASAP reminder is designed to notify voters when early voting options are available in their state or when they should submit their completed ballots by mail. In states with in-person early voting, voters received the reminder 2-3 weeks before Election Day, urging them to take advantage of in-person options. In states with all-mail voting, the reminder went out 8 days before Election Day, encouraging voters to return their ballots promptly.
Today's voters want more than just guidance on casting their ballot - they want to know what happens next. Democracy Works expanded TurboVote with new FAQs about post-election processes to provide transparency throughout the voting journey. Voters can now use TurboVote to check their mail ballot status, fix specific issues with their ballot, and access helpful FAQs explaining key post-election processes and dates.
These features reflect our commitment to supporting voters through every stage of the democratic process, clarifying the critical time between casting a ballot and the certification of results. By providing trusted, accessible information about what happens after Election Day, we're helping voters understand our election systems and ensuring they stay informed long after casting their ballots.
Given the sharp rise in concerns about election integrity, we are empowering voters with resources to learn more about how states keep voting secure. Our new election security guidance reassures voters that election officials in all states are working hard to protect the vote. If a state has created its own web page about election security, we provide a link. If a state does not have an election security resource, we encourage voters to contact their state election office with questions and concerns. We also encourage them to contact their local election offices to learn more about paid and volunteer opportunities to assist with elections in their communities.
We’re committed to fostering a sense of civic duty that transforms first-time and occasional voters into habitual, lifelong participants in democracy. In 2024, we introduced new user engagement tracking on TurboVote, providing real-time alerts for our partners and defining a new standard for understanding and motivating voters.
Our new data platform tracks and alerts a partner every time a voter joins and interacts with TurboVote. By allowing our partners to target voters based on actions like checking voter registration status, engaging with election guides, or requesting a mail ballot, we’re creating a pathway for personalized outreach and meaningful participation. TurboVote will also use this rich engagement data to personalize our web and notification experiences, learning from our users and making every subsequent step they take to vote easier.
We launched the Democracy Works Elections API to ensure that every eligible voter had the knowledge and resources they needed to cast their ballot in 2024. This updated API version includes expanded data, youth pre-registration instructions, the ability to search for upcoming elections for a specific address, and ballot information for thousands of elections each year.
The API launch made this essential data more widely available, leading to new, innovative partnerships with tech leaders such as TikTok, Perplexity AI, and more.The Elections API also won a 2024 API Award in the “Best Data API” category. The award winners were selected by the independent, expert-led DevNetwork API Advisory Board.
LOOKING AHEAD
OUR 2025 FOCUS
we are focusing on three key priorities:
Understanding Voter Behavior
We’re investing in tools to identify trends and insights into how voters find, consume, and act on election information across different platforms and communities.
Strengthening Data Infrastructure
We’re building robust systems to ensure reliable voting information reaches Americans through every trusted channel — from AI platforms to local organizations.
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Expanding Local Election Coverage
We’re increasing our focus on the thousands of local elections directly impacting communities, ensuring local contests have the same accessible, reliable information as federal contests.
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Download the PDF Version of this Report
Impact Report 2024
