Election time is upon us!

That means many of us will be heading to the polls.

It also means a lot of us will be seeing posts and ads across our social media platforms urging us to vote.

This year has been unusual election year…

 

Because more people will be voting from home to limit the spread of COVID-19.

But if this is your first time voting, or you do not feel comfortable enough to go out to the polls – Instagram and Facebook will be offering informational videos that will give tips and state-specific guidance on how to vote through mail starting this weekend to everyone of voting age.

The videos will help guide voters on where to sign the documents, when they can return a ballot in person, and encourage them to be mindful of deadlines.

Most people have some form of social media on their phones

 

Now more than ever, apps have been urging people to register to vote in the U.S. general election.

Snapchat reported that it registered about 400K new voters through their reminders and Facebooks says it helped about 2.5 million citizens register to vote just this year.

That’s an impressive accomplishment for social media! But as always with social media, there’s a negative side.

Voting rights advocates are concerned that many vote-by-mail ballots are being thrown away due to failing to meet deadlines or being marked invalid for not being filled out the right way by the voter or just from being tampered with.

Not only that, but rules vary state to state. For example, there’s a new rule in Pennsylvania against “naked ballots”. This refers to any ballot not submitted in an extra secrecy sleeve. These will be tossed out in Pennsylvania. However, other states make it optional.

Facebook is under the microscope once again

This year Facebook has been getting criticized for how they’re mishandling information on their platform. In some cases, this has even been shown to incite violence.

To handle this, Facebook has become more vigilant in flagging down inaccurate information and banning controversial groups like QAnon. It also broadened its rules prohibiting voter intimidation.

Even though there’s been a lot of discussion regarding mail-in ballots, they’ve historically been a reliable method of voting. And all 50 states have absentee voting for people who cannot vote in person. Oregon and Colorado have already been using this method for years as well.

So don’t be discouraged about voting this year (if you’re eligible, of course)!

What do you think about social media’s growing role in our lives? Do you think it’s a good thing… or a bit too much involvement from a third party?

Let us know your thoughts, and experiences, in the comments section below!