In the run-up to America’s 2020 election, a new app is looking to “galvanise the millennial vote” by providing quick and accurate information for millennials through a mobile application called Politicking.

Judging by the Democratic Party’s current swathe of hopefuls, this app could not have picked a better time in history to exist.

Many voters have experienced a similar sense of loss and confusion one of the app’s co-founders, Wen-kuni Céant, felt while trying to exercise her civic duty in a voting booth in 2016. Liz Coates writes: “Howard University graduate Wen-kuni Céant was 22 years old when she stepped into a Florida voting booth in 2016 and scanned the various candidates and state amendment proposals on the ballot.”

Céant noted that prior to this, she had considered herself well versed in matters concerning the election, however, when the time came to vote, she experienced a wave of confusion over the candidates and the amendments presented before her.

After voting that day, she soon realised that this was not a problem that affected her, alone, and there were thousands more who were just as confused. Understanding how quickly that confusion can turn into apathy, Céant turned to a former Howard University classmate who was involved in politics, Jordan Wilson, and together they created Politicking.

What is Politicking?

Speaking on what inspired the creation of this app, Céant explains that many young voters in America do not quite understand the goings-on in local politics, especially when it comes to picking local representatives whose actions affect their lives the most.

“After realising this was a ‘we’ problem, not a ‘me’ problem, the idea for politicking [was born]. Through Politicking we are able to create transparency between candidate and constituent by demystifying the way users have been traditionally informed about Politics,” Céant explains.

In her words: “Politicking is a sociopolitical mobile application dedicated to improving and galvanizing the millennial vote by providing information about micro and macro politics.” The founders hope that this tool will help millennials make informed choices at the ballot and learn everything they need to in order to cast an educated vote.

Why Politicking?

Apart from the fact that no other app doing the same thing exists in America, “Politicking is imperative because millennials represent the second largest generation of this country’s electorate, and without our votes we willingly allow America’s politics to engage in business as usual,” Céant explains.

Recalling her confusion from 2016, she and her co-founder, Jordan Wilson, set out to create an easy to use treasure trove of information for voters on the go. Containing information on micropolitics, not only the big election (presidential election), the app provides knowledge tailored to each user. The features of the app include a Voter ID profile where users “are able to create a virtual voter ID profile that will advise them as to what districts and precinct they are registered to based on their address” as well as a location-sensitive feature which allows users to “view amendments and referendums that will appear on the Politicker’s ballots and have them broken down in layman’s terms.”

The app also contains general knowledge about the voting process, streamlined information on 2020 candidates, the ability to see all the candidates who will appear on the ballot as well as a neat way to compare and contrast where each candidate stands on certain issues.

This way, Politicking helps to ensure that each voter stepping into the voting booth is well informed on every candidate they see on their ballot and it helps them vote for policies and people they truly believe in.