Snapchat is launching a new tool aimed at guiding its young user base to consider running for political office in the United States. The company states it wants to help future candidates overcome common barriers to launching political campaigns by providing information, resources, and encouragement, as reported by The Verge.
The Run for Office Mini – a collection of mini-applications running within Snapchat – will allow users to explore issues they care about and find information about political offices in their ZIP code. Users will be able to connect with candidate recruitment organizations, including Run for Something, New Politics, Run GenZ, and the LGBTQ Victory Institute, which can provide training and resources to prepare for a campaign.
The tool features a portal based on the BallotReady API that enables Snapchat users to discover important issues to them and includes information on 75,000 upcoming elections at the federal, state, and local levels. Once users select the issues that interest them most, the app will display potential roles that may be suitable.
The tool also includes a campaign dashboard to show Snap users the steps they need to take to get a ballot, including any registration deadlines or signature requirements. They will be able to share stickers from the portal to the "campaign" within the app and share their candidacy with friends on Snapchat. Users will also be able to "nominate" friends they see as future leaders and encourage them to run.
This is not Snapchat's first attempt to mobilize voters; in 2018, it added voter registration within its app, and in 2020, the company introduced more in-app features, including a voter guide and a voting checklist. The company stated it helped over 1.2 million of its users register to vote in 2020, half of whom were first-time voters. It estimates that its in-app voter engagement tools have been used by over 30 million Snapchat users.
The company claims it reaches 90% of people aged 13 to 24 in the United States, many of whom either have not voted yet or were first-time eligible voters in the 2020 elections. The Run for Office tool builds upon work already done by Snap in partnership with the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University's Tisch College, according to CIRCLE research.
"We hope the launch of the Run for Office Mini will change the perception of who can be in office – regardless of who you are and where you come from, you can make a difference in your local community by running for office based on the issues you care about most," said Sophia Gross, Head of Policy and Social Impact Partnerships at Snap. She added that the company believes it has an important and lasting role in encouraging the next generation of leaders to run for office. "We want to help shape a more reflective and equitable democracy for all Americans."
