Read on Twitter
NEW: Facebook had a big PR push around its voter registration drive –but it got off to a slow and halting start amid complaints by the Trump campaign
Emails obtained by TTP show that FB walked back its initiative promises, frustrating some state officials https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/facebook-scaled-back-voter-registration-kickoff
Emails obtained by TTP show that FB walked back its initiative promises, frustrating some state officials https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/facebook-scaled-back-voter-registration-kickoff
On June 16, Facebook first announced the company would be launching a Voting Information Center, a key element in Facebook’s effort to register 4 million new voters.
The center was supposed to run from July-November, starting July 3 http://about.fb.com/news/2020/06/voting-information-center/
The center was supposed to run from July-November, starting July 3 http://about.fb.com/news/2020/06/voting-information-center/
In a @USAToday op-ed on June 17, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would be embarking on the “largest voting information campaign in American history” https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/06/17/facebook-voter-campaign-strengthen-democracy-mark-zuckerberg-column/3191152001/
Zuckerberg’s June 17 op-ed was met with pushback from the Trump campaign.
The campaign’s digital director, Gary Coby tweeted “They will register more of Biden’s voters than Trump’s. They will heavy up on Biden registrations in swing states.”
The campaign’s digital director, Gary Coby tweeted “They will register more of Biden’s voters than Trump’s. They will heavy up on Biden registrations in swing states.”
Facebook had initially planned to push register-to-vote reminders to users on July 3 & July 4, across Facebook, Instagram, & FB Messenger, emails obtained by TTP show.
The emails indicate that despite the Trump campaign’s claims, the reminders exhibited no pro-Biden strategy
The emails indicate that despite the Trump campaign’s claims, the reminders exhibited no pro-Biden strategy
But just one week later on June 30, a Facebook government outreach manager, Eva Guidarini, told state election officials the effort would be limited to July 3 and “just run on Facebook.” She did not explain why.
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7032681-JUNE-30-SCALE-BACK-and-GOOD-LORD-EMAIL.html#document/p1/a576661
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7032681-JUNE-30-SCALE-BACK-and-GOOD-LORD-EMAIL.html#document/p1/a576661
Vermont state election officials seemed to be caught off-guard by the decision, according to emails obtained by TTP
“Good lord,” Vermont’s elections director Will Senning wrote as he forwarded the message to the state’s secretary of state and his staff. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7032681-JUNE-30-SCALE-BACK-and-GOOD-LORD-EMAIL.html#document/p1/a576661
“Good lord,” Vermont’s elections director Will Senning wrote as he forwarded the message to the state’s secretary of state and his staff. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7032681-JUNE-30-SCALE-BACK-and-GOOD-LORD-EMAIL.html#document/p1/a576661
As Facebook scaled back its initial voter registration plans following the Trump campaign's criticism, it also appeared reluctant to get into the details of mail-in voting in the July registration drive—steering clear of an issue that became a frequent target of President Trump
On June 23, an Illinois State Board of Elections public information officer asked Facebook govt outreach managerRachel Holland, if Facebook could add a line to the July register-to-vote reminder telling Illinois residents they can request a mail-in ballot https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7032684-ILLINOIS-SOS-VOTE-by-MAIL-FB-VR-POST.html#document/p1/a576663
But on June 30, Holland appeared to reject the idea. Citing unspecified “feedback,” she said Facebook had “opted to generalize the language” of the reminder to make it “apply to as many states as possible.” She said Illinois could include mail-in voting info on its own website
Facebook is taking a more direct approach to mail-in voting with its new Voting Information Center, which gives users a way to request a mail-in ballot or explore the options in their state. @NYTnickc https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/13/us/politics/facebook-election-hub-vote-by-mail.html
But Facebook took its time rolling out the Voting Information Center, which Zuckerberg first promised on June 16. The company only recently announced its launch on August 13, nearly two months later. https://twitter.com/fbnewsroom/status/1293804958786236416?s=20
TTP has also not seen the center running at the top of Facebook or Instagram feeds—something Zuckerberg promised.
Facebook also hasn’t specified its voter registration plans for Facebook Messenger, which the company has said will be part of the effort
https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10112184244817511
Facebook also hasn’t specified its voter registration plans for Facebook Messenger, which the company has said will be part of the effort
https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10112184244817511
Instagram, given its young user base, is a particularly ripe target for voter registration
Facebook's last minute decisions to shorten its July registration drive & drop it from Instagram leaves questions amid FB's goal of registering 4 million new voters https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/facebook-scaled-back-voter-registration-kickoff
Facebook's last minute decisions to shorten its July registration drive & drop it from Instagram leaves questions amid FB's goal of registering 4 million new voters https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/facebook-scaled-back-voter-registration-kickoff
As Facebook emailed state officials with a variety of election updates this summer, officials in Vermont reacted disdainfully.
Senning, the state elections director, commented that one Facebook message sounded “like it was written by a fourth grader" https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7032678-VERMONT-FOURTH-GRADER-and-RESPONSE.html#document/p1/a576665
Senning, the state elections director, commented that one Facebook message sounded “like it was written by a fourth grader" https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7032678-VERMONT-FOURTH-GRADER-and-RESPONSE.html#document/p1/a576665
Senning's comment prompted a colleague to chime in, “They are really not putting much effort into working with us.”
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7032678-VERMONT-FOURTH-GRADER-and-RESPONSE.html#document/p1/a576665
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7032678-VERMONT-FOURTH-GRADER-and-RESPONSE.html#document/p1/a576665
Another official, Eric Covey, the chief of staff for Vermont’s secretary of state, suggested a mock response to Facebook: “Facebook is that Russian asset my crazy uncle puts propaganda out on, right?”
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7032685-FACEBOOK-IS-a-RUSSIAN-ASSET-EMAIL.html#document/p1/a576666
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7032685-FACEBOOK-IS-a-RUSSIAN-ASSET-EMAIL.html#document/p1/a576666
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign continues to complain about Facebook’s voter registration. Campaign spokeswoman Samantha Zager, told @technology @EricNewcomer on July 14 that FB has “knowledge of every user’s political ideology” & is aiming to help Biden. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-14/facebook-s-voter-drive-inspires-new-claims-of-bias-from-trump?sref=VDXBDESF
