New Website Called ‘Vote (Mostly) Online’ Lets Users Do Just That

A new website aimed at millennials boasts that it will help people vote “mostly online” in Wisconsin.

It’s not legal to actually vote online in the U.S., and online voter registration is not yet legal in Wisconsin. But Michael Fenchel, who co-founded Vote (Mostly) Online, says the paper-only process of voting doesn’t match up with the “mobile lifestyle” of young people.

“Millennials are the next leaders of our nation, yet we’re more engaged with our smartphones than we are with politics,” he said.

As the name suggests, Vote (Mostly) Online does not cast a digital ballot for voters, but it gets as close as the law allows. People who visit the site can fill out all the information they need for voter registration or absentee ballot applications. Vote (Mostly) Online will then generate paper forms and mail them to voters, with stamps enclosed.

The site does provide short bios for the candidates and lets people select their favorites, but Fenchel said that information is kept confidential, and is there to make the process more engaging.

“We’ve done some user testing that (shows) that actually will both incentivize people to come to the website and actually to complete their vote,” said Fenchel. “It’s kind of analagous to if you buy a book on Amazon, you select the book first and then you check out. That’s the process people are used to.”

A spokesman for the Government Accountability Board issued a statement saying the GAB appreciates the efforts of groups like Vote (Mostly) Online and has offered the site constructive comments. The GAB also cautioned that Wisconsin’s laws, voter registration processes, and absentee voting rules are complex, and are not easily translated into computer code for websites.