As Election Day inches closer, millions of Americans are checking their voter registration status and deciding how they’ll cast their ballot amid a pandemic. With so much on the line in November, major consumer brands like Facebook, HBO, and Doordash have been using their platforms to educate users about voting and registering.
The latest brand to join the movement is Zillow with the launch of Zillow Votes. Available starting Sept. 22, Zillow Votes allows users to check their voter status, register to vote, view the 2020 presidential and congressional candidates and learn about their local elected officials.
The Zillow Votes homepage.
To begin, users must provide their legal name, address and email address. Next, users will be directed to a custom landing page that displays their voter status, important voting deadlines and guidelines along with links to their state’s election board. To learn about presidential and congressional candidates, users must click the candidate’s photo to access a biography and contact information.
The Zillow Votes election confirmation and information page.
Although anyone can use Zillow Votes, renters who use Zillow Renters to sign their next lease will be directed to Zillow Votes after completing their documentation. To reduce any confusion, Zillow will automatically lead them to information about the jurisdiction where the lease was signed.
“Studies show that the top cause of low voter turnout is barriers to accessible voter registration information,” the press release read. “Where some places require landlords to provide this data to tenants, Zillow has provided this tool to customers nationwide as a standard feature in the rental process.”
“This additional voter service is another valuable resource for renters who use Zillow Rentals as a one-stop-shop for all their home journey needs, offering customers one central online place to search available rentals, take a virtual tour, apply, submit a background check, sign a lease, and pay their rent,” it continued.
The candidate roster and information page.
Users can revisit the Zillow Votes platform at any time, without re-entering their information, to get the latest information about voting in their area or resume their research about candidates.
In addition to helping with voter registration, Zillow is giving its employees up to eight hours of paid time off between Oct. 6 and Nov. 3 to vote and/or volunteer at the polls.
“Moving can be a stressful time, and renters already have a lot on their plates. Zillow’s new voter registration resource reaffirms our commitment to making it easier to move from one home to the next,” Zillow Chief Corporate Relations Officer Dawn Lyon said of Zillow’s commitment to improving voter participation.
“The renter voter registration and election resource supports our customers and complements the resources and paid time off Zillow is providing to our employees to help them exercise their right to vote.”
