The reminders appeared in the News Feeds of all American Facebook users over the age of 18. These reminders appeared between Sept. 23 and 26 and read, “Are you registered to vote? Register now to make sure you have a voice in the election.” The reminder included a “Register Now” button that led those who clicked onto it to an American government website where they could register to vote online.
The feature also allowed those who registered to vote to share that fact with other Facebook users.
The secretaries of state in nine states; California, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska and West Virginia credited Facebook for the surge in registration during that four day period. Alex Padilla, the secretary of state of California, said “the needle moved in a significant way.” On Sept. 23, 123,279 people registered to vote in the state. It was the fourth highest daily registration since online voting began.
As well as these secretaries of state, the Election Center for Election and Innovation Research also noted the spike in online voter registration. Depending upon the state, voter registration increased from double to 22 times more than those who registered on Sept. 22, the day before the reminder appeared on News Feeds.
This is not the first time Facebook has been involved in American elections. In 2010, Facebook adjusted the News Feeds of 61 million Americans. According to an academic study, voter turnout increased by 340,000 people, enough to impact certain races.
In the lead up to the 2012 election, Facebook adjusted the News Feeds of 1.9 million users by ensuring news stories about the election would be seen at the top of the News Feed. It was estimated as a result of this tweak, voter turnout increased by three percent.
The data does not show the breakdown of those who registered during the four days. But since Facebook is used more by young people and women it is assumed a disproportionate number in those two demographics registered through Facebook. It is expected these new voters are more likely to vote Democrat than Republican.
