Friday, June 16, 2017

Request for Applications Signals Next Step in Voting Information Project Transition


Providing Accurate Election Information to Voters can be challenging for States due to regular Changes and Updates to Ballot information, Polling Locations, and Election Laws.

To overcome these Obstacles, the Voting Information Project (VIP), an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts, in partnership with Google and the States, is working to make Election information available where People look for it most, Online. VIP offers Voters, Campaigns, Candidates, Election Officials, and others a Standardized, Reliable Source for Official Voting information.

VIP works with the States and the District of Columbia to Collect and Distribute Current, Accurate Election information. The Project provides States with Technical Assistance in Standardizing and Publishing their Data, and the Final Product is Official and Up-to-Date information on Polling Places, Ballots, and Candidates that Voters can Access Online and through a variety of Tools and Applications.

Alexis Schuler of The Pew Charitable Trusts posted this announcement on the VIP Blog: Request for Applications Signals Next Step in Voting Information Project Transition.

In March, the VIP announced that it had begun the process of identifying a new Home for the project in 2018 and beyond. Today, that Transition takes another major step with the release of a Request for Applications (RFA) by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The RFA encourages Entities to indicate their Interest in and Qualifications for taking on VIP’s Work serving Voters across the Nation.

Applicants will have an Opportunity to Demonstrate how they will:

- Adhere to the key VIP Principles set out by a Group of Stakeholders from the Fields of Election Administration, Technology, including Civic Technology and Academia.

- Manage the Current and Future Technical Challenges of aggregating Official Election Data in the VIP Form and ensuring the success of Voter-Facing Tools established by VIP and its collaborative Partners.

- Maintain and Nurture the strong Relationships with State and Local Election Officials that are instrumental to VIP’s success.

Expressions of Interest are due Tuesday, July 11th, 2017, and full responses are due Monday, Aug. 21st. Pew and VIP will host an Informational Conference Tuesday, July 18th, to further explain the RFA Process and answer any questions that Prospective Applicants may have.

CLICK HERE for the 12 page (pdf) RFA.

Any questions about the Process and Requirements can be directed to Jasen Andersen at jandersen@pewtrusts.org.

This is a huge step forward for VIP and a key turning point in the Project’s Evolution from a purely Pew-driven asset to one shared by the entire Election Field. It will be interesting to see who steps forward and what that means for VIP in 2018 and beyond.

CLICK HERE for more in formation about the Voting Information Project.











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