After doing its part to get voters to register and endorse their candidates of choice, Facebook introduced a feature to give voters all of the information on what they will be voting on.
The social network's vote planner presents an outline of candidates and ballot initiatives that will appear on users' ballots Nov. 8, Election Day, as well as information on where candidates stand on issues.
Facebook teamed up with the nonpartisan Center for Technology and Civic Life on the information presented within its vote planner, and the social network said it provided a way for users to report issues with data from the CTCL.
Controls for who sees choices made by users within Facebook's vote planner were also made available.
Facebook said in a Newsroom post introducing its vote planner feature:
The candidates are presented in random order in a horizontal scroll, and there are several ways to interact with the candidate profiles. You can view their issue positions (information candidates have provided about their policy positions), their endorsements, recent posts and their website. You can also add a candidate to your favorites to create your plan to bring with you on Election Day.
When you first visit this feature, we will show you information about the candidates running for president and statewide races. If you would like information about your local election, you will be asked to add your address. This is optional.
How you vote is a personal matter, and we've taken steps to make sure that you have utmost control over your plan. After you make a selection, you have to choose who you want to be able to see it (“Only me” or “Friends”). For example, you may want to be private about your choice for president, but share with friends your pick for a congressional race or a ballot initiative.
Many people look to friends and family for information and guidance about how to vote, so if you're undecided about a race you can ask your friends for advice on Messenger. If you decide to make a choice visible to friends, they can see it inside their own voting plan (it won't create a post in News Feed).
Readers: What are your thoughts on Facebook's vote planner feature?
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