Expedia, Inc. Encourages American Travelers to Vote – Even if Traveling
Company points travelers to Google for resources on absentee and early voting; Expedia® to alert travelers who will be away on Election Day
BELLEVUE, Wash., October 17, 2016 – The ability to vote is one of the most important American civil liberties. However, U.S. Census Bureau research shows that one of the primary reasons people don’t vote is due to travel: they are out of town on Election Day. Several Expedia, Inc. brands, including Expedia.com®, Hotels.com®, Egencia®, and Travelocity®, are reminding travelers to take time to identify their voting strategy if they will be away from home on Election Day.
According to Department of Transportation data, on any given day, approximately 1.95 million Americans take flight. If a sizable percentage of that number of people fails to vote because they are traveling, that can swing the election in one direction or the other. In the 2000 Presidential election, fewer than 500,000 votes separated the candidates.
Absentee ballot and early voting are two tools that are particularly valuable for citizens who may not be home on Tuesday, November 8. That’s why in advance of Election Day, Google is making the voter registration process easier than ever before by giving citizens detailed information on how to secure an absentee ballot and vote early, directly on Google Search. Check your voting deadlines, learn early voting deadlines, and see how to cast an absentee vote.
Every traveler who books a trip away from home on November 8 will receive an alert from Expedia letting them know that the travel will impact Election day voting. They will be encouraged to cast an absentee ballot, or early vote in the 34 states that permit it.
“Expedia, Inc. wants to help eliminate travel as the reason citizens fail to vote,” said John Morrey, Vice President and General Manager, Brand Expedia. “We are reaching out to consumers we know are traveling during the voting period to encourage them to take action before their trip. Google has several search tools available that alert voters to their state’s voting policies.”
“As voters prepare for Election Day, we’ve worked to make the voting process easier and more accessible than ever before. Whether you’re voting early or at the polls, we want everyone to have the information they need to participate in the political process,” said Emily Moxley, Product Manager at Google. “We’re proud to team up with Expedia as we use technology to drive record turnout on Election Day.”
Expedia, Inc. brands, including Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Orbitz, CheapTickets, Egencia, Travelocity and Hotwire are conducting email outreach to hundreds of thousands of consumers and utilizing various communication channels to encourage travelers to vote.