
Democracy Works
Model & Strategy
Democracy Works turned the entire internet into an onramp for voting in 2018. It was the highest midterm turnout in a century.
Whatever issue you care about, it will not get solved while democracy is broken in the United States. Voter participation is critically low. Only 36 percent of voters participated in the last midterm election.
Democracy Works moonshot goal is 80% voter participation in the United States by 2024 and Democracy Works is the jet fuel that will get us there.



Seth spent two summers in high school working at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and always planned to be an inventor – but when he got to college, plans changed. He couldn’t turn his back on what seemed like the greatest problem of our time, America’s broken democracy and dysfunctional government. He founded the Activist Council, which still annually mobilizes hundreds of students to participate in politics, and served as student body president, where he led the council in successfully lobbying Columbia to reform its financial aid policies.
After college, Seth worked as a researcher at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, and asked himself the question that would drive his future work, “Why has the Internet revolutionized everything except government, and what could I do about it?” He sought answers by attending the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, working at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, and founding TurboVote while completing his Masters in Public Policy. TurboVote has since been recognized by the Sunlight Foundation, Knight Foundation, and Google, and in 2011 Seth was named one of Forbes magazine’s “30 under 30” in the field of law and policy.
IMPACT
Democracy Works helps tens of millions register and vote. Here’s how:
- Seven million voters receive TurboVote texts and emails to help register and vote in all elections.
- Turning the world’s most valuable media real estate into registration and voting powerhouses.
- Publishing the only dataset of all 125,000+ polling places, powering everything on Election Day.
- Every state relied on Democracy Works help or technology to improve election security or voter experience.
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Join the @CivicAlliance for a virtual event on Tuesday, April 4 at 2 p.m. ET to hear about the 2023 civic landscape… https://t.co/PWNAkDMpjM
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According to @vdeminstitute's Democracy Report, the level of democracy for the average global citizen is back to 19… https://t.co/yPcI85iIN9
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Did you know that Thomas Mundy Peterson was the first Black American to vote in 1870 after the passage of the 15th… https://t.co/6lcVP7Qqsq
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We have 3 openings at Democracy Works! Join our nonprofit, nonpartisan team that builds technology to serve voters… https://t.co/fkYr7uCmoi
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We appreciate @pagerduty for supporting Democracy Works in improving our reach. Thanks to PagerDuty and your awesom… https://t.co/M87CbGFaEP
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RT @CivicAlliance: Do you lead civic engagement at your company? Are you looking for nonpartisan info & tips on how to talk to your audienc…
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We love our partnership with @Vot_ER_org and teaming up to help reach new voters. Thanks for all you do! https://t.co/R4iMO3ERJ2
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At #DemocracyWorks, our data powers the services that Help America Vote - No Matter What. But we can’t do it withou… https://t.co/Hyyr01oHwW
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Thanks @geoffreyfowler for the focus on this critical area. 🙏🏾 https://t.co/CcDUm6Srtg
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Thrilled that the fantastic work of @CivicAlliance is being recognized 🏆 https://t.co/fxgt8ryXev
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RT @DemocracyJobs: .@demworksinc is hiring a Sr Manager of Election Administration responsible for overseeing the outreach team in cultivat…
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RT @SmartCityExpoUS: Join us as we discuss Data and Our Democracy: Access to the Ballot with @StephLYoung, Luis Lozada, @MayorHancock, and…
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Do you want to help power the #midterms? 🤔 Join our team to help America vote no matter what! We’re hiring a: 🗳️… https://t.co/Y4JjPxqnvC
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Today is @voteearlyday's Nonprofit Day of Action, and we’re proud to share that our organization will be joining th… https://t.co/yDuplp8sX7
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RT @mcclellantv: Ballot status: 🟢 Counted. Don’t miss your chance to exercise your right to vote. If you vote by mail, you can easily tra…
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RT @TurboVote: Are you ready to Help America Vote? Signing up to be a poll worker is a great opportunity to ensure that we have accessibl…
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RT @TurboVote: By partnering with TurboVote, @salesforce helps their employees more easily register to vote, request their ballot, and make…
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RT @VotingInfo: Ready to #BeAVoter? Find voting locations for elections happening today in Wyoming and Alaska at https://t.co/xUo3eJ75fu…