Facebook is on a mission to get four million Americans registered to vote by Election Day on November 3. So far, the company reports that it has made significant progress on that goal with more than 2.5 million Americans registered through Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger.
"Certainly, it's the most complex election I've ever experienced," Emily Dalton Smith, director of social impact product at Facebook, told Cheddar. "So we're really focused on making sure everybody in the U.S. who's eligible has the information they need."
Facebook and Instagram users can head to the site's Voter Information Center to look into the registration process, or even volunteer at the polls.
The sites give people "a one-stop-shop they can go to anytime they have a question or want to learn how they can vote," Smith said.
Facebook is raising the bar from its past voter registration efforts. The company says it helped two million Americans register and turn out to vote in both 2016 and 2018.
With Tuesday designated as National Voter Registration Day, the social media giant is ramping up efforts now more than ever, providing clear alerts at the top of its most popular apps.
"We're running drives at the top of Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger apps this week giving people information on how to vote right at the top of the apps," Smith said.
While Facebook does collect data on its users' specific political learnings, Smith said that the company isn't focused on whether it's helping liberals or conservatives register to vote.
"That's a really personal decision, and we want to make sure that people are empowered to make that decision and make their voice heard," Smith said. "Who they vote for is up to them. We just want to make sure that they get out and vote."
With House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's latest funding plan in ruins and lawmakers leaving town for the weekend, there's no endgame in sight as hard-right Republicans push dangerously closer to a disruptive federal shutdown.
A judge rejected Hunter Biden's request to attend his next court hearing virtually.
Free Covid tests are making a return thanks to the federal government.
The Biden administration said it's allowing about 100,000 Venezuelan migrants already in the U.S. to work and live legally in the country.
The U.S. sent two prototype drone ships to Japan to start testing surveillance and possible attacks against China.
A judge rejected Hunter Biden's request to appear virtually at his next court hearing.
House Republicans clashed with Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday, accusing him and the Justice Department of the “weaponization” of the department's work in favor of President Joe Biden 's son Hunter.
The Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday for the second time in its past three meetings, a sign that it’s moderating its fight against inflation as price pressures have eased. But Fed officials also signaled that they expect to raise rates once more this year.
The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is providing $600 million in funding to produce new at-home COVID-19 tests and is restarting a website allowing Americans to again order up to four free tests per household — aiming to prevent possible shortages during a rise in coronavirus cases that has typically come during colder months.
The Pentagon began a new effort Wednesday to contact former service members who may have been forced out of the military and deprived of years of benefits due to policies targeting their sexual orientation, starting with those who served under “Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
