The Voting Information Project (VIP) is an election data project founded by Google and the Pew Charitable Trusts, a left-leaning donor foundation. In 2018 VIP was spun off to be managed by Democracy Works, a left-leaning public policy and election data organization. VIP collects and disseminates data on ballot information, polling places, and voter registration information to voters across the United States. ^{1 2}

Other left-of-center donors and advocacy organizations associated with VIP include the JEHT Foundation,³ the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation,⁴ the Democracy Fund,⁵ and the MacArthur Foundation. ⁶

Background

The Voting Information Project was founded in 2008 following a report by the Pew Charitable Trusts titled “Being Online is Not Enough.” The Report indicated that millions of voters went online to locate polling locations and find other information on general elections. The lack of a universal standardized online data system for a voter to locate his or her polling place led Pew to fund the Voting Information Project as a joint effort with Google and state and local election officials. VIP now claims to be among the largest and most accessed sources for election day information. ⁷

Activity

Launched by Google, Pew and the JEHT Foundation, the Voting Information Project required participation from state and local election offices who provided ballot information and access to data in a standardized format. This standardized system allowed VIP users to enter an address and be matched to a polling place. The VIP system also helped voters find links to official information about voter registration, identification requirements, type of voting equipment, candidates and issues, and alternatives to voting in person at a polling place. ⁸

In 2018, the Pew Charitable Trusts announced that it was moving away from elections work. Management of the Voting Information Project was transferred to left-leaning election advocacy group Democracy Works, which had worked as a data contractor for the VIP. The official news release announcing the transition declared the Voting information Project to be the “most comprehensive and trusted single dataset of national, state, and local election information.” The June 2018 news release also boasted that for 2016 the VIP had “received more than 120 million impressions from voters looking for election information” and that ten states were using the “the customizable, embeddable VIP tool.” ⁹

Connected Organizations

Some of the left-leaning donors and advocacy organizations that are funding or working with the Voting Information Project include:

Center for Technology and Civic Life¹⁰

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation¹¹

Democracy Fund¹²

Rockefeller Brothers Fund¹³

MacArthur Foundation¹⁴

Pew Charitable Trusts¹⁵

Democracy Works¹⁶

Quadrivium Foundation¹⁷

Luminate (a subsidiary of the Omidyar Network Fund)^{18 19}

JEHT Foundation²⁰

Google²¹

1. “About” Voting Information Project. Accessed May 13, 2020. https://www.votinginfoproject.org/about
2. “Frequently Asked Questions.” The Voting Information Project. Accessed May 19, 2020. https://www.votinginfoproject.org/faq
3. Chapin, Doug. “Update On The Voting Information Project”. National Conference of State Legislatures. July 2008. Accessed May 13, 2020 https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/the-voting-information-project.aspx
4. “About” Voting Information Project. Accessed May 13, 2020. https://www.votinginfoproject.org/about 
5. “About” Voting Information Project. Accessed May 13, 2020. https://www.votinginfoproject.org/about 
6. “About” Voting Information Project. Accessed May 13, 2020. https://www.votinginfoproject.org/about 
7. “About” Voting Information Project. Accessed May 13, 2020. https://www.votinginfoproject.org/about 
8. Chapin, Doug. “Update On The Voting Information Project”. National Conference of State Legislatures. July 2008. Accessed May 13, 2020 https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/the-voting-information-project.aspx
9. “NEWS RELEASE: The Voting Information Project moves to Democracy Works, Inc”. Voting Information Project. June 18, 2018. Accessed May 13, 2020. https://www.votinginfoproject.org/news/2019/1/18/news-release-the-voting-information-project-moves-to-democracy-works-inc
10. “Civic Data.” Center for Tech and Civic Life. Accessed May 19, 2020. https://www.techandciviclife.org/our-work/civic-data/
11. “About” Voting Information Project. Accessed May 13, 2020. https://www.votinginfoproject.org/about 
12. “About” Voting Information Project. Accessed May 13, 2020. https://www.votinginfoproject.org/about 
13. “About” Voting Information Project. Accessed May 13, 2020. https://www.votinginfoproject.org/about 
14. “About” Voting Information Project. Accessed May 13, 2020. https://www.votinginfoproject.org/about 
15. “About” Voting Information Project. Accessed May 13, 2020. https://www.votinginfoproject.org/about 
16. “About” Voting Information Project. Accessed May 13, 2020. https://www.votinginfoproject.org/about 
17. “About” Voting Information Project. Accessed May 13, 2020. https://www.votinginfoproject.org/about 
18. “The Omidyar Group’s Luminate Invests in OCCRP.” The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. November 1, 2018. Accessed May 19, 2020. https://www.occrp.org/en/62-press-releases/8834-the-omidyar-group-s-luminate-invests-in-occrp
19. “About” Voting Information Project. Accessed May 13, 2020. https://www.votinginfoproject.org/about 
20. Chapin, Doug. “Update On The Voting Information Project”. National Conference of State Legislatures. July 2008. Accessed May 13, 2020 https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/the-voting-information-project.aspx
21. “Frequently Asked Questions.” The Voting Information Project. Accessed May 19, 2020. https://www.votinginfoproject.org/faq