keep its non-partisan website going as a free option, Fenchel says. “We are open to finding ways to earn revenue to sustain this, but we want to make sure that it’s always free and non-partisan for those who want to use it that way.”
But first, the startup must prove that voters prefer using its service over going to the polls or requesting an absentee ballot through the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board’s website. That state site offers some similar services, although VMO appears to require fewer steps and handle more of the logistical tasks involved in voter registration and absentee voting.
And although VMO says it has taken steps to ensure users’ data are secure, Fenchel recognizes that some will skip using the service due to privacy concerns.
The VMO team aims to process at least 10,000 votes in Wisconsin’s November election, which includes the gubernatorial race between Republican incumbent Scott Walker and Democrat Mary Burke. The 10,000 votes would represent less than 1 percent of the 2.5 million votes expected to be cast Nov. 4, a poll expert told the Wisconsin State Journal.
VMO has secured about 20 percent of its $50,000 goal needed to process 10,000 votes in the upcoming election, Fenchel says, an amount that includes labor expenses and the cost of stamps and envelopes.
Even if only a tiny slice of Wisconsin voters use the website this fall, it could still demonstrate that “we’ve come up with a better way” than the “existing mechanisms,” Skievaski says. One of the broader goals is for governments to adopt some of VMO’s ideas.
After the fall election, VMO’s founders want to continue engaging users, such as by sending them e-mail reminders about upcoming elections, Fenchel says.
