Move over, flower crown filter: Snapchat has added a few new functions to their user experience, and this time, they pack a little more punch. The social media app is trying to make the voter experience easier for their users in a few ways like with filters that count down the days until the election. They’ve also added a function on Snap Map that allows you to find polling places and check out sample ballots, and, perhaps most importantly, a link to Get To The Polls, which helps you find your polling place.
Further, American users 18 and over will receive a Snap on election day reminding them to vote and reminding them to check out Get To The Polls if they don’t know where to go.
Snapchat’s involvement in election day—which is this coming Tuesday, November 6—should come as no surprise. Only a few weeks ago, the social media company teamed up with TurboVote for Voter Registration Day and added a voter registration link to all 18 and over users’ profile pages. According to Engadget, the effort resulted in 418,000 new voter registrations.
And the social media giant is one of a large number of American corporations trying to get involved in the electoral process this year. Approximately 150 companies, including the likes of Patagonia and Levi Strauss, have promised time off for their employees to vote. And around the country there are initiatives to make voting more worthwhile, including the possibility of winning a free vacation.
For those cynics who may be wondering what the point of a few silly filters may be: social media can and does affect voter turnout and can also make the difference in heated races. Just look at the surge in newly registered voters thanks to the likes of Taylor Swift‘s Instagram encouragement.
So we’re here for it: send as many snaps as you can to your family and friends reminding them that TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH is election day. And then treat yourself to a goofy dog filter for a civic job well done.