IssueVoter Spotlight: Sara Gifford
IssueVoter is excited to partner with ActiVote. To kick off this exciting new opportunity, we sat down to interview Sara Gifford, ActiVote’s COO.
Can you tell us about your education and career path, and what led you to leading ActiVote today? Did you always know you wanted to start a civic tech company?
I’ve spent my whole life in technology. After a career working in enterprise software I wanted to make an impact with the skills that I had. I’ve always been passionate about democracy and voter participation so together with a few colleagues we decided to tackle the challenge of increasing voter participation. When we looked at the landscape we saw a lack of education tools. The one tool we found was IssueVoter where you could stay informed about legislation and we wanted to make elections as easy as IssueVoter makes legislation!
Describe your very first civic engagement.
The polling place where my parents voted was in my public elementary school. I have a vivid memory of standing in line at the polling place with my parents in tears because I was going to be late for school. The message I got was “some things are more important than being on time to school and voting is one of them.” I’ll always be grateful to my parents for instilling in me the importance of civics, community and voting.
Tell us more about ActiVote — How does it work?
ActiVote’s mission is to increase voter participation and we do so by creating a civic habit. We get good at things we practice, so we created a system where everyday Americans can become super voters. And this habit forming approach works! We recently did an analysis which shows that not only does voter participation increase for the next election for a voter, but it says elevated over an extended series of elections.
What are the most challenging aspects of leading ActiVote? What about in politics today?
Politics are divisive today. And while we work on a depolarizing approach to voter outreach it doesn’t stop us from getting accusatory comments about our motives. Next to this elections are run differently in all 50 states and there are local and special elections year-round. Given our goal to cover as many elections as possible, this keeps us busy pretty much all the time!
What do you hope to achieve with it?
We hope that we can systematically create super voters. We hope that voting becomes as much of a part of people’s yearly routine as Thanksgiving and Halloween. And we hope that people feel good while casting that vote because they are informed and confident and empowered.
Why should someone who is using ActiVote use IssueVoter, and vice versa?
There is no silver bullet to a functioning democracy. It takes participation in elections, and ActiVote helps with that, and it takes engagement with elected officials, and IssueVoter is critical to that. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” ~Nelson Mandela. What IssueVoter and ActiVote are doing is providing easy access to educational material — and that will be one of the things that helps instigate change.
Is it difficult to strike a work-life balance when you’re running a company? How do you make time for yourself?
One of the best parts about working on ActiVote is that I truly love what I do! I enjoy thinking about ways to engage with voters and being able to take an idea from brainstorming all the way into the brand. So that makes it easier to feel like I’m always spending time on myself. That being said, the only person who will ensure that you feel balanced is yourself. I always have a set of personal goals for every quarter that I work on with equal passion to ActiVote. Those goals change, but they are always important. Sometimes that is family or fitness or reading more, but it is always something that brings me joy.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Interestingly the best advice I ever got was advice about taking advice from others! A mentor once told me that I should be a sponge for input and ideas from others, and that the impact I would make was deciding which advice to follow. He told me “take the best and leave the rest” but always listen. Other perspectives are always valuable and therefore don’t shut it down before you hear it, listen, understand, explore and then make your own choice.
Let’s talk about you!
What issues do you care about?
Voter Participation, Thriving Democracy
How do you balance life and civic engagement to live a civically engaged life?
Do a little bit each day. Hold the door open for someone in your community. Read one article about something happening in your town. Help someone struggling to carry too many things. Read a flyer at the local school when you pick up the kids. Those small actions in your community combined with staying informed make great citizens!
How do you keep up with the latest news?
Newsletters. I subscribe to a variety of daily newsletters that take different perspectives to current events.
Why did you start using IssueVoter?
I wanted to stay more up to date with what was going on in Congress and I wanted my elected officials to know how I felt about the bills they were voting on.
What is your favorite thing about IssueVoter?
IssueVoter tackles the hard job of summarizing the pros/cons of legislation without further polarizing the issues. I truly appreciate the work that takes and the impact it has on our national discourse.
What is your go-to podcast or newsletter?
Tangle News
What people and/or organizations do you look up to, related to the issues you care about?
iCivics — Making Democracy Fun for Kids, Voteriders — Ensuring everyone has access to the ID they need to vote
What is your favorite song about America?
Stars and Stripes Forever, John Philip Sousa
Favorite Quote
“Failure is not an option!”
A healthy democracy is…
…one where as many people as possible participate.
Rapid Fire Questions!
How do you get your news?: Online News or Twitter?
Online news
Podcasts or Blogs?
Podcasts
Morning News or Nightly News?
Morning News
How do you vote?: Absentee/Early or Election Day?
Early in person
IssueVoter Bill Alert or IssueVoter Score Card?
Score Card
IssueVoter is a non-partisan platform that makes civic engagement accessible, efficient, and impactful. Stay up-to-date with legislation and make your voice heard! Sign up for IssueVoter to keep track of Congress from your inbox!
