Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Facebook Drive Sparks Huge Spike In New Voter Registration

By Alex Nitkin | September 23, 2016 3:43pm | Updated on September 26, 2016 7:08am
 Nearly 3,600 people registered to vote before 2:30 p.m. Friday, compared to 596 all day Thursday.
Nearly 3,600 people registered to vote before 2:30 p.m. Friday, compared to 596 all day Thursday.
View Full Caption
Shutterstock

CHICAGO — A Facebook voter registration drive prompted a ten-fold increase in people registering to vote in Chicago and a six-fold jump in new registered voters in suburban Cook County Friday, according to city and county election officials.

About 120 Chicagoans have registered online every day since Labor Day, said James Allen, spokesman for the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. On Friday, more than 1,400 people signed up.

"It's always expected to go up around this time of year, but still, this is a huge jump," Allen said.

Related: Trump vs. Hillary? How to Register to Vote in Chicago

Starting Friday morning, Facebook led its American users to a voter registration portal. Everyone already signed up was invited to post their registration status.

After netting between 300 and 700 new registered voters every day for the past week, the county saw 3,592 people sign up online between midnight and 2:30 p.m. Friday, officials said.

Cook County Clerk David Orr is hoping to keep the numbers soaring into National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday, when employees will travel around the county adding voters to the rolls, according to spokesman Nick Shields.

"We're very excited about these numbers, and we look forward to continuing the momentum," Shields said.

The deadline to register online to vote in Illinois is Oct. 23.

For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: