As politics and technology continue to converge, VoteSpotter, a free mobile app that connects citizens with their federal and state elected officials, today announced its downloads have increased by 10 times in the last six months; up from 4,000 in February 2015 to more than 50,000 in September. VoteSpotter is the only app that enables citizens to directly engage with their state and federal lawmakers, making their voices immediately heard and holding legislators accountable for their votes.

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In Michigan, the app covers votes by all 38 members of the Michigan State Senate and all 110 members of the Michigan State House of Representatives, as well as the state’s two U.S. Senators and 14 U.S. Congress members. Now that Michigan’s fall legislative session is underway, VoteSpotter is sharing how the state’s lawmakers may be voting on road funding, Uber regulations, criminal justice reform, school pension reform, the prevailing wage law and more, and enabling citizens to immediately express approval or disapproval of votes by their elected officials by directly calling or emailing them, or by sharing via social media.

A non-partisan tool, VoteSpotter empowers citizens to get involved in the political process with a few simple taps on their mobile device. VoteSpotter works by:

• Informing citizens who their state and federal elected officials are based on their address.
• Educating users through alerts and simplified summaries when their representatives vote on issues of interest.
• Engaging users to provide instant “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” feedback on lawmakers’ decisions.
• Providing easy, one-tap access to reach elected officials with a direct phone call or email.

“Our busy everyday lives make it challenging to stay on top of and involved in important political issues, especially at the state level,” said Andrew Koehlinger, project director at VoteSpotter. “With VoteSpotter, citizens across all demographics are able to engage with issues in simple yet powerful ways. Our technology allows users not only to know who their lawmakers are and what’s happening at the State Capitol and across their communities, but to take action quickly and easily.”

Added Koehlinger, “Most people, particularly millennials, aren’t that engaged in the political process in between elections – and in many cases even in the heart of an election season. Yet between elections is exactly the time when governing is done and citizens can effect the most change by influencing their representatives. Through VoteSpotter, millennials and others can directly connect with their elected officials and hold them accountable. That’s how our political system works at its best.”

In addition to covering Michigan where the app was created and developed, VoteSpotter covers the legislature in 12 more states including Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin. It also identifies and covers voting records of all representatives of U.S. Congress. VoteSpotter plans to cover state government in all 50 states.

About VoteSpotter

VoteSpotter is a free mobile app for iOS and Android devices that connects citizens with federal and state elected officials. With an easy-to-use interface, VoteSpotter informs, educates and engages users on who their lawmakers are, when votes are cast on important issues, and how their representatives voted. Users are able to share their opinions on particular votes directly with their lawmakers or to their broader social networks – with a simple tap. The only app that provides easy to understand, concise information on legislation at the state level, VoteSpotter is developed and operated in Michigan, and covers lawmakers and legislations in 12 other states. For more information or to download the app, please visit http://www.votespotter.com/engage.

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