Like most people, you’ve probably asked your friends and family who they voted for, or who they plan to vote for, or maybe which party they’re registered with. A new app eliminates the need for those questions, because it will find out all that info for you, according to Business Insider .
Vote With Me shows you which elections are taking place near you and helps you get prepared for Election Day, but that’s not all this app does. Vote With Me also accesses your voting record and your voter registration, and it does the same thing for everyone on your contact list.
That means you can get a look at which party your friends and family are registered with, and even see how they’ve voted in the past.
So there’s an app called vote with me that uses public voter files to get you to spy on your friends and family’s voting patterns. It kind of creepy but I kind of love it. Incidentally I’m a superstar voter. pic.twitter.com/YnHUVxbHuK
— Bolus of Gubbins (@jeffayc) October 25, 2018
According to the app, Vote With Me is providing this information so that you can reach out to friends who are in states and districts with important races and motivate them to go vote. And since voter registration is a matter of public record, the app isn’t breaking any rules. The app says it doesn’t sell any of the information it obtains, so spammers and advertisers won’t start targeting you based on where you stand politically — at least, not because of this app.
But let’s be honest: you probably weren’t going to go digging through public records to find out how your cousin or your co-worker votes. This app does provide knowledge that you probably wouldn’t get any other way, and it may just reveal that someone you thought was a Democrat really isn’t (and vice versa).
The app accesses state voter rolls to gather its info, according to BuzzFeed News . It will actually show you who on your contact list voted in past elections and how they voted, and comes with pre-programmed messages so you can remind your contact to vote.
Some people could find the app invasive, because it does reveal information that people typically choose to share (or not) as it suits them. This app can potentially “out” your friends, and reveal closeted Democrats and Republicans. It may also reveal just who isn’t voting that you know, which can be maddening if you’re passionate about politics.
