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Company: Vote.net, New York, NY
Company Description: Vote.net is a nonpartisan political website that allows students to share their ideas on current politics, have open discussions, and to elevate public health as a critical voting issue. The site is dedicated to building the political knowledge and power of young people enough to get them to register to vote. The site is student-operated by a small team at Hunter College High School in New York.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Student-Run Business of the Year
 Nomination Title: Vote.net
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the achievements of the nominated organization since January 1 2020, OR written answers to the questions for this category? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions.
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Briefly describe the nominated organization: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 177 words used.
Vote.net was conceived, built, and launched in 2017 by Max Anderson as a student effort to engage his fellow high school students in the political process, including constitutional law. The site was launched in conjunction with the creation of a weekly student forum at Hunter College High School to openly discuss and debate the political topics of the day. The site and forum have created a constructive outlet for the expression of differing political viewpoints and a practical approach to influencing the political process through student activism. Since its initial start-up, however, Vote.net has expanded past its local community and drawn in readers from around the world. Moderating healthy discussion of the major shifts in the political landscape has allowed us to better inform voters by presenting them with unbiased opinions. Looking toward the future, we are excited to provide extensive coverage of the 2022 Senate elections through an unbiased lens. Particularly, we will be focusing on documenting and reporting on the values of candidates that most closely align with the interests of young voters.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Outline the organization's achievements since the beginning of 2020 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 197 words used.
During the last 12 months of operations, the newsletter grew to over 101,546 weekly subscribers, Vote.net's Twitter feed reached over 1,500 daily followers, and its original content has been picked up through over 450 RSS feeds. Since 2020 these numbers have continued to rise as Vote.net has expanded into scope and scale. Its partnership with "Rock the Vote" has allowed it to reach a far wider audience and introduce more people to the core beliefs of the website. The expansion of the website comes at the perfect time in light of the 2022 election cycle, as even more potential voters will be able to receive accurate and up-to-date information about voting patterns, predictions, and the political views of the candidates. Direct and reliable coverage of the 2022 election has already begun as millions of voters are currently searching for accurate information about the nominees in their states, and Vote.net has played an important role in providing it. Providing up-to-date information on the opinions and leanings of their states’ candidates will allow them to have a better understanding of who they are voting for and will allow them to make more informed decisions.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 125 words used.
Our early coverage of the 2022 election is our greatest achievement because it has the most real-world implications. With a wide userbase of young voters, the articles published help craft and cultivated free political thought among the youth and better allow them to make informed voting choices. This is particularly significant as our partners at “Rock the Vote” have worked with us to further this goal of encouraging young unregistered voters to sign up and become eligible to vote in the upcoming cycle. Helping formulate political opinions for thousands of young voters has very substantial and tangible consequences on the senatorial election as we not only help provide information on the election but provide the resources so that their beliefs can manifest in their vote.
- You have the option to answer this final question: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 112 words used.
Since late 2020, our team of students:
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Developed and launched a new community-driven, non-partisan website targeting prospective millennial voters;
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Created a sub website on "how to vote" by state during Covid (https://vote.net/how-to-vote-home-page/);
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Assembled a national team of over 200 content contributors;
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More than tripled newsletter registration to 101,546 subscribers;
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Created a social media campaign garnering over 1,500 Twitter followers;
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Syndicates its original content through over 450 RSS feeds;
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Using national data created Covid tracking dashboard by political affiliation (https://vote.net/covid-19/);
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Sponsored voter registration drives in New York City targeting eligible students;
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Launched a successful Gofundme Campaign; and
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Designed an innovative mobile application to match voters with candidates.
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