Voters have a new resource this election cycle to help them cut through the noise of the primary and general process. Influential petition platform Change.org launched their new mobile web app and desktop site, Change Politics, Thursday morning, increasing access to candidates in the presidential field.
Through Change Politics, users can submit questions directly to participating candidates, search through the endorsements from prominent figures and organizations in the political arena, and create a personalized ballot guide based on their preferences.
The launch of the new platform is personal for Change.org CEO and founder Ben Rattray, who said, “Change Politics puts voters at the center of the electoral process. By empowering people to directly communicate with candidates, and easily find information about who to vote for from the people they trust, we’re building a new source of citizen power to rival political ads and party affiliation.”
Today’s launch marks the opening of state-level town halls, where voters of both parties in Iowa and New Hampshire can begin submitting questions to their candidates. The Change Politics digital town hall process is simple: users can submit typed questions or upload video questions, upvote their favorites and the candidates will respond from a list of the most popular at the end of the question submission period.
Confirmed participants for the state town halls include Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich, and the entire Democratic field. Eventually, the town halls will expand to cover both state and local-level elections, as well.
In addition to teaming up with several of the campaigns, Change Politics is partnering with media outlets across the country during their initial launch. Local outlets include the Des Moines Register, the Concord Monitor, and the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Townhall.com, in coordination with the rest of the Townhall Media sites, will participate as the conservative media partner for the rollout of a national town hall that will take place in February.
Since 2007, Change.org saw rapid growth in its user base through its petition platform that has directly engaged with politicians like President Obama, Senator Mitch McConnell, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Cory Booker, Mayors Ed Lee and Bill De Blasio, and Reps. Mike Honda, Paul Ryan, and Patrick Murphy. Change Politics expands on the original mission to empower both a domestic and global citizenry to make impactful change in their communities.