To build engagement in upcoming elections, voters need to know what’s at stake. The Sample Ballot in TurboVote gives voters a personalized list of the contests, candidates, and measures on their ballot in upcoming elections, so they are informed before they cast their vote.
Discovery
Users can find their Sample Ballot in TurboVote:
- By tapping “See What’s On Your Ballot” from your TurboVote homepage or embedded voting hub
- On an Election Guide by tapping “View Sample Ballot”
- From a link to your Sample Ballot signup form or hub on your destination site
- From a link to your embedded Sample Ballot signup form or hub on your website
Existing users visiting personalized hubs and election guides will also be shown prominent links to view their sample ballots.
User Experience
Flexible Entrypoints
- Sample Ballot Signup: Users are prompted to create an account. Signing up unlocks their personalized ballot hub—complete with sample ballots for upcoming elections—and ensures they receive timely election reminders.
- Sample Ballot Hub: After only entering their address, users will see what’s on their ballot. Users can sign up later if they want personalized reminders.
On their Sample Ballot, users can access detailed information on any individual ballot measure, contest, or candidate. They can also filter ballot measures based on topic, and filter candidates based on party affiliation.
Ballot Measures
For each ballot measure, users will find:
- the measure’s name (e.g., “Proposition 1”)
- a brief description of the measure (e.g., “Decrease the size of the Board of Commissioners from five to three people”)
- topics that are relevant to the measure, such as governance, healthcare, education, environment, taxes, and more
- a short summary of what a “Yes” and “No” vote means
- the number of endorsements for and against each measure
- specific groups and individuals who have endorsed a “Yes” or “No” vote (if any)
- ballot question (when available)
Contests and Candidates
For each contest, users will find the name of the office, the name of the election, and a list of the candidates running.
For each individual candidate, users will find:
- the candidate’s name
- the candidate’s party/parties
- candidacy declaration status (i.e., candidacy declared, incumbent) when available
- the number of endorsements for the candidate (if any)
- specific groups and individuals who have endorsed the candidate (if any)
- the candidate’s Ballotpedia page, website, and social media accounts, when available
- contact information, including address, phone number, and email, when available
Ranked Choice Voting
In contests with Ranked Choice Voting, the Sample Ballot will include the option to select a numerical ranking for each candidate.
Saving and Printing Sample Ballot
Users can select candidates and ballot measures they plan to vote for and email or print their Sample Ballot with candidate selections and rankings to ensure they have it handy as a reference during the election.
Users can change their candidate selections at any time, and their selections will remain saved on their Sample Ballot in TurboVote until the election has ended.
Notifications
On completing the Sample Ballot Signup, users will receive a welcome notification with a link to their personalized ballot hub. Users can return to their personalized ballot hub at any time to access sample ballots for their upcoming elections.
Users will receive election reminders for their upcoming elections. Reminders include helpful information such as:
- What's on your sample ballot
- Key dates and deadlines
- How and where to vote
- ID requirements and more!
Election Coverage
Ballot measures
Sample Ballots in TurboVote show all ballot measures that have officially qualified to appear on the ballot in an upcoming election. As new ballot measures are certified, they are added to the list of ballot measures.
Contests and candidates
In 2026, sample ballots in TurboVote include:
- all federal contests and candidates including Senate and House of Representatives
- all state contests and candidates, including governor, treasurer, secretary of state, state legislative seats, state supreme court, district court, and court of appeals
- local candidates and contests, including mayor, county judge, county clerk, commissioners, and city councils in the top 100 cities by population
- school board elections in 475 school districts, which includes all school districts in the 100 largest cities by population and the 200 largest school districts by student enrollment
Please note that local coverage may be limited by mapping constraints.
After the elections are certified, results are also available in TurboVote.
Information on the sample ballots, including candidates and measures, is sourced from Ballotpedia, a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization that is not affiliated with any campaigns or candidates for office.
User Data and Insights
Accounts created using Sample Ballot Signup are highlighted at the top of your dashboard in the TurboVote Admin Console and have a signup_app export field value of “reminders-ballot”.
Embed On Your Site
Drive traffic to your website and help your audience learn what’s at stake in upcoming elections by embedding Sample Ballot on your website.
- Check out the Sample Ballot Signup and Sample Ballot Hub embeds in action on our demo site.
- Learn more about how to embed TurboVote on your site.
- Request your embed code from our team.
Promotion Ideas
Why It Matters
Every election gives voters an opportunity to shape their future. That’s why TurboVote shows voters what’s at stake, with details about the contests, candidates, and measures on their ballot.
While most voters know of the candidates who are running for president or Congress, they may not be as aware of important ballot measures or down-ballot races. Voters can examine the lesser-known – but equally important – issues that directly affect their local communities. Ballot measures cover a range of critical issues such as healthcare, taxes, environmental policies, and many others.
With a seamless Sample Ballot experience, you can highlight the stakes of these elections to your audience. This ensures that voters can understand the profound and often immediate impact these decisions can have on their daily lives and communities, and are motivated to make their voices heard at the polls.
Best Practices
Sample Ballot offers flexible implementation options. You can decide the best way to surface ballot information to your audience.
Sample Ballot Signup: Users create an account, see what’s on their ballot, and get reminders.
- Embed the signup form directly on your website
- Link to your destination site: [yourURL].turbovote.org/whats-on-your-ballot/voter-info
Sample Ballot Hub: Users enter their address to see what’s on their ballot.
- Embed the hub directly on your website
- Link to your destination site: [yourURL].turbovote.org/search/ballot-info/address
Voting Hub: Users can discover Sample Ballot right from your TurboVote homepage.
- Embed the hub directly on your website
- Link to your destination site: [yourURL].turbovote.org
Review the TurboVote elections calendar for a complete list of upcoming elections. Encourage your audience to learn what’s at stake as part of your get out the vote communications. Highlight that users can save their selections to their personalized Sample Ballot and come back to them over time.
Messaging and Graphics
Visit the 2026 TurboVote Elections Toolkit for more content and graphics you can share with your audience.
By encouraging your audience to view their Sample Ballot, you can activate voters and drive meaningful participation.