Facebook estimates it has helped 2.5 million people register to vote this year across Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, the company said. With more than a month until the 2020 election, that’s already higher than the two million people it helped register in both 2016 and 2018. The company has set a goal to help four million people register to vote this year, though, so it still has a ways to go.
As part of its efforts to reach that goal, the company launched a “voting information center” that has resources about voting on Facebook and Instagram in August. And this weekend, the company started showing users information about how to register to vote at the top of Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. Facebook says it will continue showing these notifications through September 25th.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21894649/image001.png)
The company ran a similar initiative in July. Facebook also kicked off a poll worker recruitment drive last weekend, and will be giving paid time off to US-based employees who want to staff the polls.
Earlier this month, Facebook announced a number of changes intended to help combat potential voting misinformation, including expanding its policies against voter suppression and saying it would stop accepting new political ads one week before election day. But if you don’t want to see political ads on Facebook platforms right now, you can turn them off.
