Facebook's 'I'm a Voter' widget could actually encourage on-the-fence voters to cast a ballot

Facebook&#039;s &#039;I&#039;m a Voter&#039; widget could actually encourage on-the-fence voters to cast a ballot

(Image credit: Screenshot/Facebook)

last updated 10 January 2015

If you logged onto Facebook today — and the stats show you probably have — you've likely noticed a widget at the top of your news feed notifying you that it's Election Day and urging you to tell your friends that you've voted. That's not just Facebook encouraging your standard social media oversharing — data shows that people who know their friends have voted are actually more likely to cast a ballot themselves.

You see, while the election widget might be new to you, back in 2010 Facebook collaborated with researchers to launch a similar iteration of its Megaphone app (the official name for the "I'm a Voter" plug-in) to an experimental group of voters. Compared to the control group (potential voters who did not see the banner) Megaphone-receiving users were 0.39 percent more likely to vote.