The Voting Information Project (VIP) is significantly expanding its support of state and local elections in 2016. In addition to the Nov. 8 general election, the project will provide critical information, such as polling place locations and ballot summaries, for voters in more than 70 elections, starting in January. The races include presidential primaries in 32 states and statewide primaries in 41 states, as well as runoffs where applicable, and dozens of local and municipal elections, including fire district and school board races across the country. VIP will not provide information for caucuses.
Read MoreThe Voting Information Project (VIP) will support at least 15 statewide and municipal elections on Nov. 3, including statewide races in Kentucky, New Jersey, and Virginia. VIP ensures that voters can access official election information for all races, big and small, through a variety of platforms. This cycle, voters and organizations have two new options for accessing this information.
Read MoreThe Pew Charitable Trusts' Voting Information Project (VIP), in collaboration with The Internet Association, is relaunching the Get to the Polls website—after its successful debut in 2014—to help voters find the information they need to vote this fall. The site allows voters to enter their addresses and find the location and hours of their polling place and ballot and candidate information. Get to the Polls will be available from October 22 through November 3 and displays voting information for all VIP-supported statewide and municipal elections.
Read MoreA new short code for the Voting Information Project (VIP) short messaging service (SMS) is now available to provide voters with election information via text message. Voters can text “VOTE” or the Spanish “VOTO” to GOVOTE (468683) to find polling places, contact information for local election officials, and registration website links.
Read MoreThe Voting Information Project (VIP) recently completed its first pilot program in West Virginia, providing the state with a new, streamlined approach to manage, clean, and report its elections and voting data.
Read MoreAs VIP has evolved, so has its data specification—a standard format that ensures consistency in collection and dissemination—and in September, VIP announced a new specification, VIP 5.0 that gives the aggregated data a more detailed structure.
Read MoreOn May 5, 2015, Governor Mike Pence signed a bill into law solidifying Indiana’s participation in the Voting Information Project (VIP) and making it the first state to affirm its commitment through legislation.
Read MoreOn July 22 at the University of Texas in Austin, the Knight Foundation, in partnership with the Democracy Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Rita Allen Foundation, announced 22 winners (out of more than 1,000 submissions) of the Knight News Challenge on elections.
Read MoreIn 2014, the Voting Information Project (VIP) released the customizable Voting Information Tool, which delivers up-to-date official voting information online or via mobile devices using just a residential address. To make the tool even easier to customize, VIP has built a widget that walks users through the process of adding branded content.
Read MoreAt a July 9 reception at the National Association of Secretaries of State 2015 Summer Conference in Portland, Maine, Google presented awards to seven states—Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin—for their commitment to using new technologies to serve their voters.
Read MoreAlthough the official information that voters access from the Voting Information Project is delivered in a simple, easy-to-understand way, the work involved in making sure it is complete, up-to-date, and accurate is complex. Pew has created an infographic that illustrates the VIP process, providing an in-depth look at the four-step method of standardizing, validating, and publishing state election data.
Read MoreOver the past year the project and the board collaborated to make essential information readily available to voters for all of the city’s elections.
Read MoreDemocracy Works is a nonpartisan, nonprofit dedicated to the idea that voting should fit the way we live. In this guest post, Noma Thayer, data technologist for Democracy Works’ VIP team, offers insight into her role working with local elections offices around the country.
Read MoreElection night results reporting is often the most public part of an election official’s job. Consolidating returns from jurisdictions that employ various data formatting, vendors, and equipment can be difficult. By instituting a standard data structure, however, election officials can streamline the delivery of results from precincts to county election offices to the state.
Read MoreLos Angeles County turned to Pew’s Voting Information Project (VIP), making the county’s official information available through VIP’s free tools and apps, including the customizable Voting Information Tool (VIT) and the texting or short messaging service tool, which provide voters easy access to election information online and through mobile devices.
Read MoreThe Voting Information Project (VIP) is looking forward to a busy and productive year in 2015. The project will support a number of elections and assist states in automating the delivery of official data to increase its availability for more elections, from statewide contests to municipal races; and convene a group of election officials to provide feedback and guidance for its work.
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