More than 400,000 Americans have registered to vote using Snapchat for the upcoming US presidential election

More than 400,000 people have already registered to vote on Snapchat.

Of them, 57 percent were between the ages of 18 and 24, a demographic notoriously underrepresented at the voting booth.

The platform is expected to up its efforts in the weeks before the election, launching high-profile PSAs starring Snoop Dogg, Arnold Schwarzenegger and former president Barack Obama.

More than half of Snapchat users who registered through the app in 2018 voted in the midterm elections, highlighting its potential power as an election driver.

+4

Snapchats in-app efforts at getting out the vote have already netted 400,000 new voters, according to Axios. Of them, 57 percent were between 18 and 24, a demographic typically underrepresented at the voting booth

Axios reports that, as of Monday evening, some 407,024 users had registered to vote on the app - with more expected to vote in-app in the coming weeks.

While Chinese-owned TikTok has largely remained quiet about the election cycle, Snapchat has leaned into the democratic process.

The social media platform expected to release a new voter-registration PSA today with President Obama, with other get-out-the-vote clips featuring former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, rapper Snoop Dogg and ex-California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The app has also added voter information and registration tools inside of Snapchat Minis, third-party apps that run on Snapchat. 

+4

Snapchat will be releasing voting PSAs with Barack Obama and Snoop Dogg, as well as The app has also added voter information and registration tools inside of Snapchat Minis, third-party apps that run on Snapchat

Snapchat is teaming up with BallotReady on a 'Before You Vote' Mini that tells users how and where to vote in person and by mail.

Because of an expected shortage due to the pandemic, it also partnered with Power to the Polls to encourage young people to become poll workers and volunteers.

In the second quarter of 2020, Snapchat had 238 million daily active users worldwide - up from 203 million in the same period last year. 

Data from the nonpartisan group Democracy Works, which partnered with Snapchat on its voter drive, shows that 450,000 users registered to vote via the platform in 2018.

Of them, 57 percent cast a ballot that election cycle.

That's equal to about 257,000 votes, or roughly half of what Al Gore won the popular vote by in 2000.

+4

According to Democracy Now, 57% of the 450,000 Snapchatters who registered on the platform in 2018 cast a ballot in that election cycle. That's equal to about 257,000 votes directly attributable to its efforts

In addition to offering registration through its TurboVote process, Snapchat listed polling locations on its Snap Map and served up a variety of Election Day stickers and Lenses.

'Snapchat is the platform that can fill all the institutional gaps in reaching young people,' Mike Ward, Democracy Works' director of voter engagement told Bloomberg News in May. 

'They are uniquely positioned to be the most powerful youth voter registration force in the country.' 

That's especially true during the pandemic, Ward said, when the usual college voter drives haven't been able to take place. 

'Snap's success on voter engagement is more important than ever, given that on-the-ground voter engagement can't be counted on in a pandemic environment.' 

The app launched a new voter registration initiative in February, which pushes notifications to users when they turn 18.

According to Snapchat, 300,000 to 500,000 of its users turn 18 every month.  

+4

Facebook launched a Voter Information Center that claims to provide users with access to credible election news and info on absentee ballots and voting districts

That same survey found that 72 percent of 18 to 24-year-old Snapchatters, and 88 percent of 25 to 34-year-old users, say they're planning to vote in November.

In the 2016 presidential election, only 46.1 percent of 18 to 29-year-old individuals pulled the lever, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Other social media platforms are also ramping up efforts to get out the vote.

Earlier this summer, Facebook launched its Voter Information Center, offering news on local and national elections and info on absentee ballots and voting districts.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in June that the company hopes to register 4 million people by Election Day.

And today Twitter announced the launch of a voting hub 'focused on helping people register, better understand the voting process during COVID-19 including early voting options, and feel informed about the choices on their ballot.'

According to the company, 90 percent of daily Twitter users say they plan to vote in the upcoming election, though more than half said they needed more information about candidates and the voting process itself.

In the US, the hub will appear at the top of user's Explore tab and include news in both English and Spanish from reputable news outlets or by Twitter's Curation team, as well as live streams of debates and other campaign events.

The hub will also run nonpartisan PSAs to encourage voter turnout and a tool that lists the candidates for Congress and governor in a user's state.