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AP18:039
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2018
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SOS Press Office
(916) 653-6575
Secretary of State Padilla and Nextdoor Announce New Partnership to Inform Voters in Five Voter's Choice Act Counties
SAN FRANCISCO – California Secretary of State Alex Padilla and Nextdoor announced a new partnership to provide election information directly to voters in neighborhoods throughout counties adopting the Voter’s Choice Act in 2018.
“Nextdoor’s online social network provides a powerful platform to directly communicate with voters,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. “There are a lot of exciting changes coming to voters in the five counties adopting the Voter’s Choice Act in 2018. Through Nextdoor we can share nonpartisan election information that helps inform voters and allows them to take advantage of these new improvements. This is an exciting public-private partnership that shows how government and tech can work together to empower citizens to participate in our democracy.”
Five counties—Madera, Napa, Nevada, Sacramento, and San Mateo—are adopting the Voter’s Choice Act in 2018 to provide greater flexibility and convenience for voters. This new election model allows voters to choose when, where, and how to cast their ballot by: mailing every voter a ballot, expanding in-person early voting, and allowing voters to cast a ballot at any vote center within their county.
“We are honored to announce this first of a kind partnership in our home state of California that will engage local residents in an even more efficient electoral process," said Nextdoor Co-founder and CEO Nirav Tolia. "Voting is a critical part of the citizen engagement required to build strong communities, and Nextdoor is increasingly the forum for neighbors across the nation to engage with each other regarding pressing local policy issues and to connect with their local officials. As California's election process evolves to meet the needs of the voters, we look forward to partnering with the Secretary of State's office to help educate the public about the process of democracy.”
Through the partnership, the Secretary of State’s office will use the Nextdoor platform to directly contact neighborhoods in the counties adopting the Voter’s Choice Act. Messages will inform voters about the changes coming to their elections, provide reminders about election deadlines, and direct them to the vote centers in their county. Nextdoor already reaches 92% of neighborhoods in the five counties adopting the Voter’s Choice Act in 2018. This is the first time Nextdoor partners with a Secretary of State's office.
"We have a diverse state, so there should be diverse ways in which to participate as voters," said Carl Guardino, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. "The Voter's Choice Act allows us to do just that; to vote in person, drop off our ballot, vote using an accessible voting machine, get help with voting materials in multiple languages representing the beautiful diversity of our state or simply learn how to register to vote. All of these choices help equip Californians eager to participate in making our country a stronger union."
Nextdoor is the free and private social network for neighborhoods available on Web, iOS, and Android. On Nextdoor, neighbors create private online communities where they get to know one another, ask questions, and exchange advice and recommendations.
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