Vote iQ takes swipe at Facebook as a political platform

by Gautham Nagesh - 05/26/10 7:45 PM ET

Vote iQ will launch this summer with information on all statewide races in nine prominent swing states, including Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio. The rest of the states will be added as Shenkman’s staff compiles data on candidates and local races.

The site also uses a sophisticated algorithm to match users with politicians based on a series of policy questions. Shenkman said such matching technologies have been attempted by other companies in the past, but none are as refined as Vote iQ’s effort.

“I don’t think anybody has put the kind of resources behind this that we have,” Shenkman said.

Politicians that appear to flip-flop or hold contradicting positions on an issue are penalized by the algorithm, making them a less likely match for new users. The formula also accounts for an issue’s personal importance to the user, so voters can easily identify candidates that sympathize with them on critical issues.

Shenkman repeatedly emphasized that the site is “all about making politics simple,” which is why it will include aggregated interest group ratings on topics such as business, labor and conservation. Every candidate’s profile will also aggregate all relevant content from news outlets, Twitter and the blogosphere.

The site will only generate a small percentage of its overall content, most of which will be concentrated in the policy-focused “Hot Topics” section. That’s where Shenkman’s team will attempt to craft neutral, issue-based summaries for every topic, which includes the arguments and responses made by both sides. The section will also track lobbying efforts on the issue.

Shenkman thinks the section can fill the credibility gap left by the mainstream media, which he said is no longer a trusted source of information for many voters.

“[The mainstream] media has been losing credibility for 30 years,” Shenkman said, adding that Vote iQ would start with a clean slate. “If people are part of something, they trust it more. I know what we’re doing now does not work.”