Facebook makes voting social

Facebook plans to launch an “I’m voting” application that allows users to share their vote with friends, the social networking site announced Monday.

The upcoming application will allow users to endorse candidates and advocate issues as part of their social profile, with information shared in real time with friends. The application does not have a release date yet.

Facebook is also partnering with CNN to tap into the social user base to gain real-time opinion data from voters. CNN will ask app users questions and report answers on air, according to the statement.

“By allowing citizens to connect in an authentic and meaningful way with presidential candidates and discuss critical issues facing the country, we hope more voters than ever will get involved with issues that matter most to them,” Joe Lockhart, Facebook’s vice president of corporate communications, said in a statement. “Facebook is pleased to partner with CNN on this uniquely participatory experience.”

Facebook will provides data from its huge database of users, estimated at more than 900 million, narrowing by voting age, geographic and demographic information. The network expects political events such as the national conventions, presidential debates, and Election Day to provide social chatter that Facebook will analyze.
 
Results of the analysis will be available on CNN, CNN.com, and on the U.S. Politics on Facebook page, Facebook’s hub for campaign 2012 information.

---