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Election Guides

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TurboVote Election Guides provide voters with all the important details about an upcoming election and prompt them to take action based on deadlines to register and cast a ballot.

Discovery

From the TurboVote homepage, visitors can enter their address to view their personalized Voting Hub and visit the Election Guide for their next upcoming election. 

Existing users who have signed up for election reminders also receive email and SMS messages that include direct links to view the Election Guide for their upcoming election. 

User Experience

Election Guides in TurboVote include all the information a voter needs before, during, and after the election ends. 

Users can translate Election Guides into more than 20 languages using the 🌐 language switcher button located in the toolbar. Learn more about multi-language support in TurboVote. 

Content included in the Election Guide is dynamic, and updated over time to ensure your audience has the most accurate information and clear, actionable guidance, including:

  • The election name, date, and a countdown to Election Day
  • Key actions the voter can take immediately; such as voting early or checking registration status as deadlines approach
  • A prompt to sign up to receive election reminders
  • A list of topics on the ballot and link to view a Sample Ballot for the election
  • A list of key dates and deadlines to register, request a vote by mail ballot, vote early, or vote in person 
  • Details about where to vote—including early voting locations, Election Day polling places, and ballot drop-off locations—delivered either inline or through a link to learn more. Users will also find expandable information about ID requirements for their state.
  • A prompt to check voter registration status
  • A list of commonly asked voting questions and answers 
  • Any key changes in voting requirements and regulations since the last major election, including late breaking changes due to judicial decisions and emergency incidents
  • After the election, voters can check the status of their mail-in ballot, sign up for election reminders, or view election results
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Dynamic Updates

The message at the top of the Election Guide changes before, during, and after the election to ensure users always have a clear, relevant action they can take. 

For example: 

  • Before the election: the Election Guide will encourage users to vote early when the early voting period has started or check their registration status when the registration deadline is approaching for their state. 
  • On Election Day: the Election Guide features a prominent "Election Day is Today" message and any relevant urgent election notices, along with links to view sample ballots and find voting locations.
  • After the election ends: the Election Guide gives voters the option to track their mail-in ballot, view election results (as available), and sign up for reminders for future upcoming elections.
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Custom Descriptions

For any election in TurboVote, you can add your unique voice to the three key Election Guide modules: What’s on Your Ballot, Where to Vote, and Register to Vote. These custom description slots give you a chance to provide election-specific guidance and optional links for every stage of the voter journey.

  • What’s on Your Ballot: Explain what’s at stake for voters in this election. You can set context for why this election matters to your audience, preview items on the ballot, and link to external resources or position papers.

    When you add this description, it will also appear as an Election Description at the top of the Sample Ballot. Learn more about Sample Ballot Customizations.

  • Where to Vote: Help voters understand their options for casting a ballot. You can advise users to vote as early as possible, encourage voters to return their ballots to official drop boxes, or reiterate that users should choose the voting method that works best for them.
  • Register to Vote: Provide context for state-specific regulations and requirements. You can link to your own resources about registering to vote in your state or local community.

See an Election Guide with nonpartisan example descriptions on our demo site.

Creating Custom Descriptions

You can add custom content to Election Guides using a self-serve process (similar to creating Sample Ballot Customizations). Our team is ready to support implementation every step of the way. 

Here’s how it works:

  • Log in to your Admin tool and navigate to the Ballot Customizations tab. From there, you can access your Partner Election Calendar—your personal command center for all customizations, including Election Guide descriptions. You can also access your Partner Calendar directly at [yourURL].turbovote.org/partner/calendar.
  • Use the calendar’s filters to find the upcoming elections that you’d like to add custom content for.
  • Once you navigate to an Election Guide, use the embedded forms to write descriptions (250 character limit) for any of the three modules. All customizations are optional, allowing you to add the content that makes sense for your organization and message.
  • Submit your customizations form. Election Guide customizations are immediately published and accessible to your audience. You can view your published customizations within Admin Mode or see a live voter view. It’s easy to make additional changes on demand. Please note, new submissions overwrite existing ones so be sure to include all final content in each new submission.

To get started, sign in to the Partner Admin tool or reach out to partnerships@democracy.works for support.

Election Coverage

TurboVote publishes guides for thousands of elections every year—from federal and statewide contests to local school board elections. 

While our election coverage is ultimately determined by OCD-ID availability, we usually research elections for jurisdictions with at least 5,000 voters. However, we often extend our reach to cover smaller elections for jurisdictions with at least 100 TurboVote users as well.

The information in TurboVote originates from official government sources.  

Promotion Ideas

Why It Matters

Sharing Election Guides is one of the most impactful ways to increase engagement with your audience. While many voters are aware of high-profile federal elections, thousands of local elections happen every year that directly shape daily life—from school board decisions to municipal policies—yet receive far less attention.

By proactively sharing TurboVote Election Guides with your audience, you can remove barriers to participation by providing everything voters need—deadlines, ballot information, registration status checks, and voting locations—in one trusted place. 

Best Practices  

Promote your TurboVote hub as often as possible so that your audience can access Election Guides relevant to them when they enter their address or select their state. 

You can also share specific Election Guides with your audience:

  • Direct Link Sharing: Navigate to any Election Guide page in TurboVote and copy the URL. You can share links to Election Guides in any supported language using the lang= query parameter.
  • From the Elections Calendar: Check out the election dates and deadlines calendar to see a list of elections in TurboVote, along with direct URLs for each Election Guide.
  • Embed: You can also embed a specific Election Guide on your website. See an example on our demo site.

Messaging and Graphics

Visit the TurboVote Elections Toolkit for sample graphics, sample social media posts, and email templates you can customize and share with your audience. You may also consider specific campaigns at strategic moments, like when early voting opens or before registration deadlines.