{"id":2317550,"date":"2024-08-01T13:40:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-01T17:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vote411-feeds-voter-info-to-leftist-data-harvesting-machine\/"},"modified":"2024-08-01T13:47:14","modified_gmt":"2024-08-01T17:47:14","slug":"vote411-feeds-voter-info-to-leftist-data-harvesting-machine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vote411-feeds-voter-info-to-leftist-data-harvesting-machine\/","title":{"rendered":"Vote411 Feeds Voter Info To Leftist Data Harvesting Machine"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvote411-feeds-voter-info-to-leftist-data-harvesting-machine%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2317550&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Vote411 is a \u2064project associated with \u200cthe League of\u2063 Women Voters, claiming to be\u200c a nonpartisan resource for election-related information. However, \u2064it has faced allegations \u2064of data collection aimed at leftist organizations. While promoting \u200bitself as a one-stop shop for voter registration\u200c and information, the group collects user data, including IP addresses \u200cand personal details, which it claims are used for managing their site and voter engagement.<\/p>\n<p>Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen cautioned voters against Vote411, labeling its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nba-players-are-brushing-off-leagues-request-to-promote-covid-19-vaccine-report\/\" title=\"NBA Players Are Brushing Off League\u2019s Request To Promote COVID-19 Vaccine: Report\">public service announcements<\/a> as misleading and accusing the site\u2063 of data mining efforts disguised\u2064 as voter assistance.\u2062 He noted that \u200dusers are often redirected to the\u200b state&#8217;s official site after their data is collected.<\/p>\n<p>The League of Women\u200d Voters\u200c maintains that Vote411 is\u200c transparent about data collection practices and does not sell users&#8217; personal data. Additionally, Vote411 collaborates with Rock the\u200c Vote for voter registration, raising \u200cfurther concerns about the potential sharing of user information, as Rock\u200b the Vote&#8217;s \u2062privacy policy\u200c allows\u200c data sharing with third parties.\u2062 Critically,\u2062 Rock the Vote has\u200c been noted for its leftist alignment and advocacy, which adds to the skepticism surrounding the neutrality \u2063of Vote411.\u200d the integration of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-takes-google-to-court-for-allegedly-harvesting-biometric-data-without-consent\/\" title=\"Texas Takes Google To Court For Allegedly Harvesting Biometric Data Without Consent\">user data collection<\/a> with electoral processes raises significant concerns about privacy and intentions\u2062 behind voter engagement initiatives.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Vote411, a project affiliated with the League of Women Voters, bills itself as a &ldquo;nonpartisan&rdquo; election resource while helping leftist groups collect user data.<\/p>\n<p>The group calls itself a &ldquo;nonpartisan,&rdquo; &ldquo;one-stop-shop&rdquo; for &ldquo;election related information,&rdquo; according to its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vote411.org\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">website<\/a>. It offers &ldquo;general and state-specific information&rdquo; on things like voter registration and ID requirements. But it also collects user data for the leftist groups League of Women Voters and Rock the Vote.<\/p>\n<p>Vote411 is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vote411.org\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">project<\/a> of the League of Women Voters Education Fund (LWVEF). This &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/league-of-women-voters-education-fund-lwvef\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">educational and fundraising arm<\/a>&rdquo; of the League of Women Voters is an &ldquo;advocacy group for electoral system changes.&rdquo; The League of Women Voters spends most of its funding on leftist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/league-of-women-voters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lobbying<\/a> and advocacy, according to InfluenceWatch.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sos.alabama.gov\/newsroom\/secretary-state-wes-allen-warns-alabama-citizens-about-misleading-voter-registration-psa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">warned<\/a> voters in a press release Monday that Vote411 had issued a &ldquo;misleading public service announcement&rdquo; encouraging residents to sign up through its website. But Allen said the website collects users&rsquo; data before redirecting them to the Alabama Secretary of State&rsquo;s website.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m exposing this data-mining collection effort masquerading as Vote411. It&rsquo;s a sham,&rdquo; Allen said in the release. &ldquo;This is simply a shady way to collect the IP addresses and personal data of Alabama citizens.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Allen cited the group&rsquo;s privacy policy, which says &ldquo;the League may, from time to time, share the name and mailing address of its non-member financial supporters with other non-profit organizations.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Vote411 admits it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vote411.org\/legal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">collects<\/a> users&rsquo; IP addresses &mdash; numbers associated with each unique device &mdash;and &ldquo;certain other information,&rdquo; which the group claims it uses to &ldquo;manage our website.&rdquo; For users who want to find a polling place, receive electronic communications, and contribute, the group said it may ask for &ldquo;additional contact information, which may include your name, street address, city, state, zip code, phone number and billing information.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Still, the group <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vote411.org\/legal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">insists<\/a> the League of Women Voters &ldquo;will not rent, sell or trade your email address or phone number with any third party.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The League of Women Voters Education Fund issued a press <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lwv.org\/newsroom\/press-releases\/league-women-voters-statement-vote411org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">release<\/a> Monday dismissing concerns about Vote411 as &ldquo;misinformation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s troubling that misinformation about the League&rsquo;s nonpartisan elections resource is being spread among voters,&rdquo; the release reads. &ldquo;Vote411 is transparent about the data collected on our website, and voters should rest assured that using the tool does not result in the selling or sharing of their personal data.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>Capturing User Data<\/h2>\n<p>Rock the Vote is a different story.<\/p>\n<p>One of Vote411&rsquo;s main focuses, voter registration, takes place through a form on the group&rsquo;s website <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vote411.org\/register\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">operated<\/a> by Rock the Vote &mdash; a leftist-aligned group that aims to &ldquo;build the political power of young people,&rdquo; according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/rock-the-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">InfluenceWatch<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Rock the Vote claims to be &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rockthevote.org\/about-rock-the-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nonpartisan<\/a>,&rdquo; but it has promoted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/rock-the-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">leftist<\/a> causes like abortion, easy-on-crime policies, and legalizing marijuana, InfluenceWatch reported. In 2019, the group reportedly &ldquo;circulated a petition&rdquo; to abolish the Electoral College.<\/p>\n<p>When users register to vote through Vote411&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vote411.org\/register\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">website<\/a>, they &ldquo;accept Rock the Vote&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rockthevote.org\/about-rock-the-vote\/privacy-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">privacy policy<\/a>.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rockthevote.org\/about-rock-the-vote\/privacy-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">policy<\/a>, users interacting with Rock the Vote&rsquo;s &ldquo;Online Voter Registration Platform&rdquo; may allow the group to collect &ldquo;personal information.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>This includes &ldquo;identifiers&rdquo; like a Social Security Number; &ldquo;other government issued ID numbers;&rdquo; phone number, name, email, and physical address; &ldquo;demographic information&rdquo; like birthday, &ldquo;gender,&rdquo; race, and &ldquo;marital status;&rdquo; &ldquo;professional information&rdquo; like one&rsquo;s employer or organization; &ldquo;internet activity information&rdquo; like one&rsquo;s IP address; &ldquo;non-precise geolocation information.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>A Leftist Data Network<\/h2>\n<p>Rock the Vote&rsquo;s privacy policy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rockthevote.org\/about-rock-the-vote\/privacy-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">allows<\/a> it to share user information with multiple third parties, including Rock the Vote&rsquo;s contractors like its &ldquo;voter file vendor;&rdquo; &ldquo;partners and organizations&rdquo; with &ldquo;principles and missions that overlap&rdquo; with those of Rock the Vote; and &ldquo;civic technology partners&rdquo; that use &ldquo;customer versions&rdquo; of Rock the Vote&rsquo;s tools.<\/p>\n<p>Rock the Vote&rsquo;s many &ldquo;civic technology partners&rdquo; raise further <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rockthevote.org\/programs-and-partner-resources\/tech-for-civic-engagement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">questions<\/a> about data usage.<\/p>\n<p>The League of Women Voters &mdash; the parent group of Vote411, which registers voters through Rock the Vote &mdash; is listed among these partners.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Another partner is The Voter Participation Center (VPC) which, as The Federalist previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/08\/meet-the-shadowy-left-wing-nonprofit-harvesting-voter-data-to-juice-democrat-turnout\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, sends out official-looking mailers with prepaid postage to what it considers eligible voters. The mailers &ldquo;produced an additional 272,443 votes&rdquo; in the already-tight 2020 election. Beyond boosting turnout, the mailers <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/08\/meet-the-shadowy-left-wing-nonprofit-harvesting-voter-data-to-juice-democrat-turnout\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">directed<\/a> recipients to online voter registration operated in part by Rock the Vote, which could then harvest user data.<\/p>\n<p>According to Rock the Vote&rsquo;s website, more notable &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rockthevote.org\/programs-and-partner-resources\/tech-for-civic-engagement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">civic technology partners<\/a>&rdquo; include the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/campus-vote-project\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Campus Vote Project<\/a>, anti-gun Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, gay dating app Grindr, anti-religious freedom <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/human-rights-campaign\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Human Rights Campaign<\/a>, anti-gun March for Our Lives, Microsoft, media data giant Nielsen, Planned Parenthood, dating app Tinder, Twitter (now X), and the USA Today Network.<\/p>\n<p>Vote411 masquerades as a disinterested elections group, capturing apparently limited user data for the League of Women Voters. But it funnels potential voters to register through Rock the Vote, which captures the &ldquo;personal information&rdquo; described earlier. Then, any of the above &ldquo;civic technology partners&rdquo; that use &ldquo;customer versions&rdquo; of Rock the Vote&rsquo;s tools can potentially gain access to users&rsquo; personal data.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Logan Washburn is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-clark-county-keeps-commercial-addresses-on-voter-rolls\/\" title=\"Lawsuit: Clark County Keeps Commercial Addresses On Voter Rolls\">staff writer covering election integrity<\/a>. He graduated from Hillsdale College, served as Christopher Rufo&#8217;s editorial assistant, and has bylines in The Wall Street Journal, The Tennessean, and The Daily Caller. Logan is originally from Central Oregon but now lives in rural Michigan.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vote411, a project linked to the League of Women Voters, presents itself as a &#8220;nonpartisan&#8221; resource for election information while assisting left-leaning organizations in gathering user data. The organization describes itself on its website as a &#8220;nonpartisan,&#8221; &#8220;one-stop-shop&#8221; for various &#8220;election-related information,&#8221; including voter registration and ID requirements. However, it also collects user data for groups like the League of Women Voters and Rock the Vote.<\/p>\n<p>Vote411 operates under the League of Women Voters Education Fund (LWVEF), which serves as an educational and fundraising entity advocating for changes in the electoral system. According to InfluenceWatch, most of its funding is directed toward leftist lobbying efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen issued a warning on Monday about Vote411&#8217;s &#8220;misleading public service announcement&#8221; that encouraged residents to register through its site. He pointed out that the website gathers users&#8217; data before redirecting them to Alabama&#8217;s Secretary of State\u2019s site. Allen criticized this practice as a deceptive method for collecting personal information from Alabama citizens.<\/p>\n<p>He referenced Vote411&#8217;s privacy policy, which states that \u201cthe League may occasionally share non-member financial supporters&#8217; names and mailing addresses with other nonprofit organizations.\u201d Vote411 acknowledges it collects users\u2019 IP addresses\u2014unique identifiers associated with devices\u2014and other unspecified information purportedly used to manage their website. For those seeking polling locations or wishing to receive communications or contribute, additional contact details such as name, address, phone number, and billing info may be requested.<\/p>\n<p>Despite these practices, Vote411 claims that the League will not sell or trade users&#8217; email addresses or phone numbers with third parties. In response to concerns about Vote411\u2019s operations being misleading, the League issued a statement asserting that voters can trust their nonpartisan resource regarding personal data handling.<\/p>\n<p>However, when it comes to voter registration\u2014a primary focus area\u2014users are directed through forms operated by Rock the Vote\u2014a group aligned with leftist causes aiming to empower young voters. Although Rock the Vote claims nonpartisanship, it has supported various progressive initiatives such as abortion rights and marijuana legalization while previously circulating petitions against the Electoral College.<\/p>\n<p>When registering via Vote411\u2019s platform, users agree to Rock the Vote\u2019s privacy policy which permits collection of extensive personal information including Social Security numbers and demographic details like race and marital status along with internet activity data such as IP addresses.<\/p>\n<p>Rock the Vote&#8217;s privacy policy allows sharing user information with multiple third parties including contractors and partner organizations whose missions align closely with theirs. This raises further concerns about how user data might be utilized by these partners\u2014including notable entities like Microsoft and Planned Parenthood\u2014as well as civic technology partners involved in voter outreach efforts who could access this collected personal data through customer versions of Rock The Vote tools.<\/p>\n<p>In summary: While presenting itself as an impartial election resource focused on limited user data collection for educational purposes under LWVEF auspices; in reality; it channels potential voters towards registering via Rock The Vote\u2014which captures extensive personal details\u2014potentially accessible by numerous affiliated civic technology partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":507,"featured_media":2317551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/15946168851_3808b3109b_k.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[36894,36892,36893],"class_list":["post-2317550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-data-harvesting","tag-vote411","tag-voter-info"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/15946168851_3808b3109b_k.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2317550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/507"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2317550"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2317550\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2317551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2317550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2317550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2317550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}