What Vot-ER does

Vot-ER (legal entity A Healthier Democracy Inc.) is a Boston-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2019 by Dr. Alister Martin that develops nonpartisan civic engagement tools integrating voter registration and election access into routine healthcare encounters. Its core product is a wearable QR-code badge that healthcare professionals display during patient interactions; scanning the badge on a personal device routes the patient to a TurboVote (Democracy Works) powered registration platform that vets eligibility, completes registration through official Secretary of State channels, requests mail-in ballots, and provides election reminders. Supporting tools include bulk and customized badge ordering, free printable facility materials, research-backed conversation scripts, a training video library, a per-clinician impact dashboard, EHR banner and after-visit summary integration, and a 24/7 bilingual patient helpline delivered with VoteRiders. Programs such as Civic Health Month (August, 400+ organizations), the Healthy Democracy Campaign (student competition), the Community Civic Engagement Program, and the Civic Health Fellowship extend the platform into organized outreach and clinician training.

The organization serves patient-facing healthcare professionals and healthcare administrators as primary segments, with healthcare students and civic-health advocates as secondary segments, across a U.S.-only operating footprint that spans academic medical centers (Mass General, Penn Health, CHOP), community health centers (AltaMed, Oak Street Health), regional systems (Atrium Health, Main Line Health, Nemours), and flagship medical associations (AMA, ACP, ACOG, AAFP, ANA, AAP, NACHC). Its go-to-market combines self-serve individual badge ordering, bulk enterprise badge ordering, formal participating-site partnerships, and channel partnerships through community health center programs. Revenue mechanics are nonprofit-donation and grant-based, supplemented by sliding-scale Civic Health Fellowship fees (ranging from $25 for community health workers to $1,000 for attending physicians), bulk badge sales, and small product-related revenue; the organization is supported by foundations including Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and The Boston Foundation. Day-to-day leadership transitioned in October 2025 to Executive Director Lizet Ocampo following the founder's January 2026 appointment as NYC Health Commissioner.

Name

Vot-ER

Legal name

A Healthier Democracy Inc.

Website

https://vot-er.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vot-ER is a Boston-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that equips U.S. healthcare professionals with QR-code badges and a TurboVote-powered platform to register patients to vote during routine clinical visits, serving 2,000+ hospitals, clinics, and medical associations nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Engagement Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Patient Engagement, Education & Messaging Platforms (portal/CRM integrated) (HLALABAJ), Public Health Communications, Risk Communication & Community Engagement (HLAJAMAH)

Keywords

• Nonpartisan voter registration
• Healthcare civic engagement
• Civic health programs
• Voter registration platform
• Civic engagement training

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Vot-ER relies primarily on tax-deductible donations from individuals, healthcare professionals, and institutional donors. A group of donors has covered operational costs, allowing all public donations to go directly to programming.
2. Civic Health Fellowship Program Fees: The fellowship program charges sliding-scale fees ranging from $25 (community health workers) to $1,000 (attending physicians), with discounts for previous Vot-ER involvement. Financial aid is available.
3. Badge and Materials Sales: Vot-ER provides free digital badges but charges for bulk physical badge orders for organizations. Custom badge orders with organization logos are also available for purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Vot-ER develops nonpartisan civic engagement tools and programs that connect healthcare settings with voter registration and election access. Its flagship offering is the Vot-ER Badge — a QR-code-enabled wearable that healthcare professionals use to invite patients to a TurboVote-powered voter registration platform. Surrounding programs and resources (Civic Health Month, the Healthy Democracy Campaign, the Community Civic Engagement Program, the Civic Health Fellowship, facility materials, conversation starters, training videos, and an impact dashboard) extend the offering into organized civic-health programming for healthcare institutions, professionals, and students.

Product overview

Vot-ER is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers a unified product ecosystem centered on the Vot-ER Badge—a wearable QR code badge that healthcare professionals use to connect patients to a TurboVote-powered voter registration platform. The core offering consists of the badge hardware product paired with the TurboVote web platform for registration, ballot requests, and election reminders. Supporting this core are multiple add-on modules: bulk badge ordering for institutions, facility materials (posters, flyers, digital signage), conversation starters and training videos for staff, an impact dashboard for tracking registrations, and EHR integration for electronic banners. Vot-ER also runs three flagship programs—Civic Health Month (annual August celebration), the Healthy Democracy Campaign (student competition), the Community Civic Engagement Program (for community health centers), and the Civic Health Fellowship (professional training program)—which extend the product into organized community engagement and education initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vot-ER Badge The primary voter registration tool — a badge featuring a scannable QR code that healthcare professionals wear. Patients scan the QR code with their personal mobile devices to access a nonpartisan voter registration platform where they can register to vote, request a mail-in ballot, or learn about upcoming elections.
• Bulk Badge Ordering Bulk purchasing option for organizations and healthcare professionals to order voter registration badges in quantity. Includes standard badges (with Vot-ER logo) and customized badges (with organization's logo). Both options include unique tracking capabilities for individual and organizational impact measurement.
• Facility Materials Free digital resources for healthcare facilities including printable posters, flyers, handouts for discharge paperwork, digital signage for waiting room screens, and custom ordering links for staff to request physical badges.
• Conversation Starters Nonpartisan voter scripts developed in collaboration with voting experts and healthcare professionals. Scripts are research-backed and appropriate for most clinical settings, available in English and Spanish.
• Training Video Library Online training resources including video scripts and guidance for healthcare professionals on how to initiate voter registration conversations with patients, talk about the power of voting, engage young voters and parents, and pre-register teenagers.
• Civic Health Month Annual August celebration uniting over 400 healthcare facilities and civic organizations to showcase the link between voting and health. Partners receive action kits, social media toolkits, and promotional materials.
• Healthy Democracy Campaign (HDC) Annual nonpartisan voter registration competition among healthcare education programs (September–November). Teams compete to register the most voters, with points for registrations and high-impact actions; the top team receives a trophy.
• Community Civic Engagement Program (CCEP) Vot-ER's flagship program for Community Health Centers, providing additional capacity and expertise to incorporate nonpartisan civic engagement activities into operations. Applications are accepted annually for participating health centers.
• Civic Health Fellowship Eight-month training program (April–November) for healthcare professionals to lead voter registration campaigns. Includes organizing workshops with Nobel Peace Prize-nominated instructors, narrative-building workshops, teamwork projects, and civic engagement campaign launch. Charges sliding-scale fees based on profession.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300,000 voters helped to register or prepare to vote
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and partner.

• TurboVote (Democracy Works)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2019Vot-ER partners with TurboVote, powered by Democracy Works, to provide voter registration assistance and election reminders. All voter registrations are completed directly with election offices via official Secretary of State websites and the National Voter Registration Form. TurboVote vets for eligibility and prevents non-citizens from completing registration.
• VoteRiderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVot-ER partnered with VoteRiders to create a patient helpline with chatbot and live person support available 24/7 in English and Spanish. This helpline assists patients who have questions about voter registration.
• American Medical Association (AMA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMA has passed a resolution declaring voting as a social determinant of health and partners with Vot-ER for Civic Health Month and other civic health initiatives.
• American College of Physicians (ACP)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerACP partners with Vot-ER as part of Civic Health Month and promotes civic engagement among internal medicine physicians.
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerACOG participates in Civic Health Month and promotes voter registration among OB/GYN professionals and patients.
• American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAAFP partners with Vot-ER to promote family medicine physician involvement in civic health activities.
• American Nurses Association (ANA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerANA participates in Civic Health Month and supports nurse involvement in patient civic engagement.
• National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNACHC partners with Vot-ER to promote voter registration at community health centers serving underserved populations.
• American Academy of PediatricsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in Civic Health Month and promotes pediatric health professional involvement in civic engagement.
• ideas42partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerBehavioral science research organization supporting Vot-ER's program design and implementation.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Phreesia: Phreesia is a healthcare patient intake and engagement platform that surfaces prompts and resources to patients during clinical workflows. It is comparable to Vot-ER's EHR and patient portal integration model as a healthcare workflow engagement layer.
• Rock the Vote: Rock the Vote is one of the largest and longest-running voter registration and civic engagement nonprofits in the US. It operates broadly across youth and general voter outreach, overlapping with Vot-ER's mission but without the healthcare-specific distribution channel.
• findhelp (formerly Aunt Bertha): findhelp operates a social care network connecting patients to community resources (benefits, food, housing). It serves healthcare partners addressing SDoH and is comparable to Vot-ER as a healthcare-channel social-needs platform, though broader in scope.
• League of Women Voters: League of Women Voters is a historic civic engagement organization running voter registration, voter education, and advocacy programs. It overlaps with Vot-ER's voter registration mission but distributes through community chapters rather than healthcare touchpoints.

Direct peers

• HeadCount: HeadCount is a nonpartisan voter registration organization that uses music and cultural events to reach voters. It pursues the same goal of nonpartisan voter registration but leverages entertainment touchpoints rather than healthcare touchpoints.
• Democracy Works (TurboVote): Democracy Works operates TurboVote, the voter registration and election reminder platform that Vot-ER integrates with as its core technology backbone. It is the most directly comparable player in the same product category (voter registration tooling for distributed touchpoints).
• Voto Latino: Voto Latino is a nonpartisan voter registration and civic engagement organization focused on Latino communities. It serves overlapping demographics (low-propensity voters, young voters) and was previously led by Vot-ER's current Executive Director Lizet Ocampo, indicating direct programmatic and leadership overlap.
• When We All Vote: When We All Vote is a nonpartisan voter registration and turnout organization focused on closing the voting gap. It targets similar demographics and shares the same nonpartisan, civic-engagement approach as Vot-ER, though without the healthcare channel.
• VoteRiders: VoteRiders is a nonpartisan organization helping citizens navigate voter ID requirements. It is a Vot-ER strategic partner (co-developed the 24/7 patient helpline) and is directly comparable as a voter access nonprofit.

Emerging players

• Health Leads: Health Leads is a social determinants of health nonprofit that integrates social needs (housing, food, benefits) into clinical workflows. It is comparable to Vot-ER as a healthcare-based social needs intervention platform with analogous deployment model and SDoH framing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/voter

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vot-ER