Partner Civic Tech Tool FAQs

Your Partner Portal offers easy options to get your suite of civic technology tools to users. Navigate to the Embed Codes section of the Partner Portal, and you’ll find multiple options (including further instructions) for sharing your Rock the Vote tools.

Embed Codes:

Embed codes are available for all of the Rock the Vote tools. Grab this code and plug it into a website for seamless integration. If you’ve customized the look of your tool by adding a logo or using customized CSS (white labeling), this branding will carry through to your embedded tool. The embed code includes your Partner ID number, so you can access data on users who register, request an absentee ballot, look up their voter status, or pledge to vote through any of these embeds.

Links:

The Partner Portal has more information on how to share direct URL links to your tools. Here’s how each URL is formatted:

• Voter Registration: https://register.rockthevote.com/registrants/new?partner=YOUR_PARTNER_ID_NUMBER
• Voter Status Lookup: https://register.rockthevote.com/lookup/new?partner=YOUR_PARTNER_ID_NUMBER
• Absentee Request: https://register.rockthevote.com/absentee/new?partner=YOUR_PARTNER_ID_NUMBER
• Pledge to Vote: https://register.rockthevote.com/pledge/new?partner=YOUR_PARTNER_ID_NUMBER

Share your tool:

The Partner Portal also offers banners and buttons to use on your website, as well as custom links and social sharing codes.

The Absentee Ballot Request tool

The Absentee Ballot Request tool identifies the most streamlined way for each voter to request their absentee ballot and guides them through that process. If applicable, voters can select the election they’d like to request a ballot for and can repeat the process as many times as necessary to generate a request for each election. In designing the interface, Rock the Vote has been extremely careful to prevent forms from being denied by election officials.

The interface functions the same way as the Online Voter Registration tool. Users begin by by entering their name, email address, and zip code, just like when registering to vote. Depending on the zip code the user provides, they will go through the corresponding state flow to request an absentee ballot.

In most states, the information voters enter will be checked against a third party file of registered voters. If a match is found, the voter will be presented with their information in order to confirm whether or not this is their information. If they approve of the match, they will continue on to request an absentee ballot. If a match is not found or the information is inaccurate, the voter is presented with the option to continue and request a ballot regardless, to check with directly with their state or to register to vote.

After checking the registration, voters are provided with information about eligibility to request an absentee ballot. If the state requires a reason for voting absentee, the voter is presented with this information, in order to determine if they are eligible to continue. If a state provides an online portal with low or no eligibility to use it, all users are directed their form online directly with the state, to minimize drop off. If the state has an online site, but requires ID, the site is offered, and the user is also provided with the option to fill out a paper form. For states with no online site, users are immediately taken straight to fields that will populate the paper form.

In a few cases, users will never be provided with the opportunity to fill out a form. They will always be given information on how to vote and, if applicable, how to apply for an absentee ballot.

• For states that automatically mail users a ballot, voters are taken directly to a “splash page” letting them know that they will receive a ballot, and information on how to vote and who to contact with questions.
• Some states have made, or are in the process of making, it a legal risk or impossibility for the voter to use a third party tool. In these cases, voters will receive a “splash page” with information on how to request an absentee ballot as well as information on how to vote and who to contact with questions.

The final page of the user interface gives voters more information on how to proceed with their absentee ballot request. If they have completed a PDF, this information is also presented to them on the cover page of the absentee ballot request form that they print and mail.

Rock the Vote’s Pledge to Vote (Election Reminders Sign-Up) tool enables users to pledge to vote – which is a proven tactic to increase the likelihood they will vote. Users enter their contact information and elect whether or not they’d like to subscribe to SMS in addition to email. Partners can elect to include survey questions the form to capture additional data.

Users are enrolled into Rock the Vote’s Election Reminders Program which provides timely, localized election information via email, SMS, or both. These reminders include step-by-step guidance for all steps of the voting journey in clear, easy to understand language. The information is thoroughly fact-checked and comprehensive, covering relevant dates and deadlines for all federal and state elections as well as local elections in large cities.

Rock the Vote gives voters from all states a one-stop location to check on their voter registration status. Voters enter their information and the tool checks against up-to-date third party information to see if the user is active on the voter rolls with their current address. If a likely match is found, the tool displays the record’s information for the user to review and confirm. If a voter record is not found, or if users need to update their address, users are directed to register to vote using Rock the Vote’s Online Voter Registration Platform.

All of Rock the Vote’s tools are available in English and Spanish. Users can choose which language they’d like to use with the selection box in the bottom right corner of the tools.

In addition to English and Spanish, the Online Voter Registration tool is also available in Bengali, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Hindi, Ilocano, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

Rock the vote offers a “Print and Mail” feature for registrants who do not have access to a printer.

The Rock the Vote Online Voter Registration tool offers different flows to users based on their zip code, availability of connected voter registration, availability of non-connected but still online registration, requirements to use the online tool and preference of the registrant.

Although the preferred flow for voter registration for all registrants would be connected voter registration, thus avoiding any drop off, this is not available to registrants in all states.

For registrants who do not qualify or otherwise opt out of online voter registration, upon completion of the flow, RTV’s tool immediately presents a completed PDF of the voter registration form and follows up with an email including the PDF. This PDF includes a cover page with complete instructions, and a DIY envelope pre-addressed to their local election official for registrants to sign, fold and mail.

When enabled, the Print and Mail feature allows registrants to select the option to have their completed registration form mailed to them. In this case, they are still presented with the PDF upon completion of the form and by email, but they are also mailed a printed copy of the form, along with an envelope in which to mail their form back to their election official. The enclosed cover letter includes the address of their election official and instructions for returning the form.

Partners interested in enabling Print and Mail should contact civictech@rockthevote.org.

The defintion of “White Labeling”

White labeling is the process of customizing or rebranding your Rock the Vote civic tech tools. The following changes are considered White Labeling:

• Uploading assets (graphics or fonts used in the UI or logos used in PDfs).
• Adjusting the CSS in the UI.
• Adjusting the “from” email in the autoresponders.
• Customizing the autoresponders.

All of these changes can be done via the Partner Portal and require Rock the Vote approval. The other changes that can be made in the Partner Portal will take effect immediately on submission and do not require approval.

Accessing the White Label controls 

Log into your Partner Portal to access all of the customization options.

If you have access to more than one PID, make sure to click the name of the Partner you want to customize.

1. From the Dashboard, click “Customize.”
2. On the “Customize” page, you will see options that can be done without White Label approval: upload a logo to display in the upper left corner of your tools, editing the survey questions and changing your “select button.”
3. Click “White Label.”

Set up your custom branding

From this page, you have access to three sections: Assets, CSS and Email Templates.

Use the “Assets” page to upload the assets you call to on the CSS.

Preview your changes and submit your changes for approval

Any White Label customizations need to be approved by Rock the Vote. You can make as many changes as you want before submitting, and no changes will be live on your site until Rock the Vote approves them. The Rock the Vote team will get back to you with either approval or suggested edits to the CSS within the same week of submission.

• Click “Preview & Submission.”
• Before submitting, click “Preview.” A new tab will open with your current CSS attached. You can make any necessary changes before submitting.
• When you are ready to submit your changes, click “Submit for approval.”

If you have any questions while preparing your White Labeled tool, email civictech@rockthevote.org.

The following CSS file can be modified: Sample CSS

Create a file called partner.css that overwrites the default styles with your own. Reference the fonts and images already uploaded. (ie: body {background-image: url(‘mybackground.jpg’); color: #cc0000;} This file will load after the default styles so anything you define will change.

Uploading your CSS: Access the Partner Portal. Click Customize -> White Label -> CSS

Chose your file and click Update.

Preview and Submission

To view your white label branding after uploading, click “Preview and Submission.” Click “Preview” to see your OVR tool the way it will look with your CSS applied.

Click “Submit for approval” to have your white label request sent to Rock the Vote. Staff will review your request within two business days.

Can I change the order of the registration steps?
No.

My logo isn’t displaying correctly, what’s going on?
Your logo will automatically be resized to 75 pixels wide by 45 pixels tall. If you can, resize your logo to those dimensions first for optimum results. You can also use the customization feature and modify the CSS to match whatever size you prefer.

Getting Voters to the Polls

Rock the Vote’s Civic Tech tools are designed to turn registrants into voters. Regardless of how far the registrant goes in the process, the first step is entering their email address. Depending on how far they proceed in the online voter registration and absentee ballot request processes, they’ll receive different, customized, and timely emails to remind them to complete their registration or absentee ballot request.

The emails that voters receive contain different content based on whether or not the state offers online voter registration or only accepts mail forms. Templates for each email type are available in the Partner Platform under Customize -> White Label -> E-Mail Templates. Learn more about customizing your auto-responders.

At any point, voters can click a link to tell Rock the Vote that they have already mailed in their registration form or completed their absentee ballot request and do not need to receive additional reminders.

Rock the Vote’s Civic Tech tools are designed to maximize voter participation. Users who begin the voter registration process via the Online Voter Registration tool will receive a series of automated emails depending on how far in the flow the proceed. These “chaser” emails are designed to ensure that users successfully complete their registrations. The emails go out at intervals beginning shortly after the user engages with the platform.

The automated emails are designed to be used out of the box: no customization is needed. If you are interested in customizing these emails to include language, a custom subject line, a different send-from email address branding fonts, colors or graphics, you can do this from your Partner Portal. Everything from body copy, sender name and domain, to fonts/colors/graphics can be fully customized by partners.

There are 5 types of email messages, all of which can be customized within the Partner Portal.

1. Confirmation sent immediately following a registration completed on a paper form
2. Reminder sent a few days later to users who completed a paper application
3. Final reminder (for those that do not click or access their pdf application)
4. Confirmation sent to users who continue to an online voter registration portal with a state
5. Chase message sent to users who begin, but do not complete, the voter registration process

Download the text files. (zip). The text is also available in an in-line editor in the Partner Portal.

Customizing your emails:

Updates to the automatic emails can be submitted through your Rock the Vote portal. To submit updates for review, go to Customize >> White Label >> Email Templates. Make all changes in the “Edit” box. Click “Update” to preview your changes.

Customizing your email copy:

Edit your email copy directly on the Partner Portal, or use the default text above to edit in an external document and then paste into the editor. You can update the copy of your OVR tool’s automated emails to match your tone and branding.

IMPORTANT: Please keep HTML tags such as (<%= @registrant.first_name %> and <%= @registrar_phone %>) intact so dynamic content such as state phone numbers and other information can be pulled in appropriately. Also, note that your partner ID should replace the ID used in the sample.

We also recommend keeping the messaging about and emphasis on completing registrations intact.

Changing the email sender: You can change the email sender from Rock the Vote to your organization so that messages to your registrants come directly from you. On the Email Templates page, enter the desired email address. Click “Update.” You will receive a verification email from Amazon Web Services. You must verify the email within 24 hours. Once you’ve verified your email address, folks who get chaser emails will see the updated sender in about a day. Submit your update in this format: Rock the Partner Vote <info@partnervote.org>

Customizing the look and feel of your emails: Use the inline styling to make changes to the display of the emails.

Submit your changes: All changes to chaser emails must be approved by Rock the Vote. Once you are satisfied with the changes to your emails, submit them for approval. Click “Preview & Submission” at the top of the page. Submit the changes for approval and Rock the Vote will review the changes and be in touch within 2 business days.

Customizing and Leveraging Opt-Ins 

Continue engaging with registrants and voters using the Rock the Vote Civic Engagement tools by collecting email and SMS opt-ins. The final screen of each tool, just prior to submission, presents users with the option to opt into email and SMS.

By default, the box for emails for Rock the Vote will be checked: This ensures that users will receive Rock the Vote’s timely and accurate Election Reminders, to help ensure voters make it to the polls. Users can always uncheck this box if they do not want to receive the emails. If you’d like to add the option for users to opt into volunteering with your organization, you can add this option on the Partner Portal. Log into the Partner Portal >> Customize >> Edit Survey Questions. At the bottom of the Survey Questions, toggle on the option to ask for volunteers and save your changes. No approval is necessary for this change.

If you are interested in adding users to your email or SMS lists, contact Partners the Civic Tech team at civictech@rockthevote.org. For SMS opt-ins, you will need to provide a 5-digit short code as well as links to terms and conditions and privacy pages.

Opt-in data can be downloaded via the Partner Portal. Please visit “Understanding Fields Shared Across CSV Reports” to learn more about accessing this data. 

The Partner Platform gives you access to all raw data collected via all of your tools. Click “REPORTS” to generate a report.

Select the dates you would like included in the report, and click “Generate New Report.” The Online Voter Registration tool offers both a standard and extended report option.

Reports will have some tool-specific fields, and each report will include fields for UID, name, date of birth, phone, email, address, SMS opt-in and email opt-in. Although the field names may differ slightly per tool, they will be clearly labeled.

The following fields only appear in the Online Voter Registration tool. For fields that appear in multiple reports, see “Understanding Fields Shared Across CSV Reports.” For fields in the CSVs for individual tools see “Understanding Your CSV Reports for Additional Tools.”

* Indicates fields only available in the extended reports. 

Applicable to all states

Status: This field indicates how far a registrant went on your OVR tool.

1. Rejected: a person was either not old enough to (pre-)register or did not check the box affirming they were a US citizen, and stopped the process
2. Step 1: a person entered email/ZIP code on the first page, then stopped. If Viewed Steps on the extended report is blank, this user is likely a bot.
3. Step 2: user got to the second page to start filling out their personal info, but did not finish
4. Step 3/4: a person finished entering their registration information, but either (1) did not click to open/print their paper registration form, or (2) were eligible to finish on their state website, but did not click through
5. Under 18: a person was not old enough to (pre-)register in their state, but requested an automated 18th birthday reminder to register
6. Complete: a user finished the process, by either downloading their paper form, or clicking through to finish the process online with their state

US citizen?: Indicates whether the registrant checked the box affirming US citizenship. Please note, this field does not indicate citizenship status, and will display “NO” if the registrant does not get to that box on the form (for example, if they only got to Step 1 or 2)

Salutation: Indicates what the registrant entered in the “Title” field which is required in many states.

Has mailing address?: This indicates if a registrant said their mailing address was different than their registration address.

Mailing address, Mailing unit, Mailing city, Mailing County, Mailing state, Mailing zip code: These fields are only populated if a registrant has a different mailing address than registration address.

Party: Indicates the political party a registrant selects, if one is selected. This is only requested when completed a federal form, not if the registrant is passed to a state OVR website.

Race: Indicates the race a registrant selects, if one is selected. This is only requested when completing a federal form, not if the registrant is passed to a state website.

Volunteer for RTV: This field shows if the registrant opted in to volunteer with RTV.

Volunteer for partner: If you added a volunteer checkbox for your organization, this field indicates registrant opt ins. The default is to hide this opt-in, but it can be turned on in the Partner Portal, under “Customization.”

Ineligible reason: If a registrant was ineligible to register, this field will contain the reason. For example, if the registrant is ineligible due to age.

Pre-Registered: If a user is not old enough to be fully registered (which will be noted under “Ineligible reason”), but is eligible for pre-registration in their state, this field will indicate whether they completed the pre-registration process. By default, “no” will be entered, unless the user specifically completed pre-registration (not regular registration).

Started registration: The date and time the registrant began registering to vote on your tool.

Finish with State: This field indicates if the registrant was passed through to the state’s OVR system to complete their registration.

Built via API: This field indicates that the user’s registration was created as the result of an API call, rather than a session on Rock the Vote’s default web-based user interface. This includes registrations created via the PA field app & via the any tools generated via the Rock the Vote API.

Has State License*: Indicates whether a registrant included a state-issued ID number. For states without Connected VR, the field will indicate “Yes” if anything was entered in the ID field. For states with Connected VR, this will accurately reflect whether a user provided a state DL.

Has SSN*: Indicates whether a registrant included the last 4 digits of their SSN. For states without Connected VR, there is no unique SSN field, so all registrants will appear as “No.” For states with Connected VR, this will accurately reflect whether a user provided a SSN.

Change of Name*: This indicates whether the registrant says they had changed their name since they last registered to vote.

Prev Name Title*, Prev First Name*, Prev Middle Name*, Prev Last Name*, Prev Name Suffix*: These fields provide the previous name of the registrant as it was inputted into the OVR tool.

Registration Source* Indicates how the user accessed the tool: web or API.

Registration Medium* Indicates how the registration was completed: paper, Connected VR (“Submitted Via State API”),  or completed online (“Redirected to SOS”).

Over 18 Affirmed* Indicates whether the user checked the box indicating they were over 18.

The following fields are only applicable to applications submitted via Connected VR (all states):

State API Submission Result: Appears for field app users and states with Connected OVR only. Where applicable, the data in this field is assigned by the respective state election office.

VR Application Submission Errors*: This field indicates what, if any, errors occurred with a user’s voter registration application.

Submitted Via State API*: This field indicates if the registration has or has not been submitted via the State API.

Submitted Signature to State API*: This field indicates if the registration has or has not been submitted via the State API.

State Flow Status* Indicates how far through the Connected VR process the user made it.

State API Transaction ID* Transaction ID generated by the state.

Requested Assistance* Indicates that the registrant selected the option to have their registration printed and mailed to them. Please contact Rock the Vote if you are interested in this feature.

The following fields are only applicable to applications submitted via Connected VR in Pennsylvania:

VR Application Status*: This field indicates the status of a user’s voter registration application after review by the Pennsylvania DoS. The status is updated weekly.

VR Application Status Details*: This field indicates the details/reason for a user’s voter registration application status with the status. This is updated weekly.

VR Application Status Imported DateTime*: This field indicates the date applications were imported to Rock the Vote’s system.

VR Application Submission Modifications*: This field indicates what, if any, modifications were required to submit a user’s voter registration application.

The following fields are only applicable to VR applications submitted through the PA App:

Preferred Language*

Shift ID*

Blocks Shift ID*

Open Tracking ID*: Field app users only. This will show the canvass event name.

The Partner Platform gives you access to all raw data collected via all of your tools. Click “REPORTS” to generate a report, and select the tool you would like to report out on.

Select the dates you would like included in the report, and click “Generate New Report.”

Reports will have some tool-specific fields, and each report will include fields for UID, name, date of birth, phone, email, address, SMS opt-in and email opt-in. Although the field names may differ slightly per tool, they will be clearly labeled.

The following fields are shared across CSVs. Please note that although their labels may differ per report, the definitions will remain the same. For information about CSVs for Online Voter Registration (OVR) see “Understanding Your CSV Reports Voter Registration Data.” For information about CSVs for other tools, see “Understanding Fields for Other Tools (non-OVR).”

Below is a list of fields included in CSVs for multiple tools. 

Tracking Source: Any source codes you add to your tool’s URL via the parameter &source= will be located here. For field app registrants, this will be the canvasser name.

Tracking ID: Any source codes you add to your tool’s URL via the parameter &tracking= will be located here. For field app registrants, this will be the canvass zip code.

Language: The language the registrant selected (currently only applicable to OVR).

Date of birth: The registrant’s date of birth.

Email address: The registrant’s email address.

First name, Middle name, Last name, Name suffix: These fields provide the name of the registrant as it was inputted into the tool.

Home address, Home unit, Home city, Home County, Home state, Home zip code: These fields provide the home address a voter provided.

Phone, Phone type: These fields contain a registrant’s phone number, if it was provided, and what type of phone it is (i.e. mobile, landline).

Opt-in to RTV email, Opt-in to RTV sms: This will show if a registrant opted into Rock the Vote’s list email or SMS list.

Opt-in to Partner email, Opt-in to Partner sms?: This will show if a registrant opted into your email list or SMS list.

Survey question 1, Survey answer 1, Survey question 2, Survey answer 2: If you choose to customize your tool with survey questions, the questions and the registrant’s corresponding answers will be in these fields. (Currently OVR and Pledge to Vote only.)

utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term, utm_content: utm_  source codes that you add to your tool’s URL or embed. (Note: Only visible in the extended OVR report.)

Other_parameters: Indicates parameters added to your base URL or embed not listed above. (Note: Only visible in the extended OVR report.)

Viewed Steps: If this column is blank, it is likely that the row belongs to a bot and can be disregarded. (Note: Available in the extended OVR report and the Absentee Ballot tool report.)

The Partner Platform gives you access to all raw data collected via all of your tools. Click “REPORTS” to generate a report, and select the tool you would like to report out on.

Select the dates you would like included in the report, and click “Generate New Report.”

Each report will include fields for UID, name, date of birth, phone, email, address, SMS opt-in and email opt-in. Although the field names may differ slightly per tool, they will be clearly labeled. Other fields can be found in the FAQ “Understanding Fields Shared Across CSV reports.” The following are tool-specific fields for non-OVR tools.

Absentee Ballot Request tool

pdf_ready: Indicates that a PDF was generated for the voter.

finish_with_state: Indicates that the voter finished with the state’s online absentee ballot portal.

confirm_email_delivery: Indicates that the voter’s application was delivered via email. (Not currently used.)

voter_lookup_performed: Indicates whether or not the voter’s information was checked against the third party file of registered voters.

voter_lookup_found_match: If the check was run, this field will indicate whether or not the voter was confirmed as registered through the check against the third party file of registered voters.

Voter Status Lookup tool:

gender: Only supports male and female due to third party voter file restrictions.

match_status: Will display “OK” for matches or “No match found.”

abr_uid: May display in your report, but not currently in use. Do not worry if no data is displayed in this column.

registrant_uid: When a match is not found, a voter has the option to continue on to register to vote. Their UID will populate here. (This work is still in progress, so do not worry if this field is blank.)

Using parameters with a URL

Appending URL parameters allows you to send data from one page to another. This can be used to pre-fill sections of the registration form or track the source of registrations. Partners will need to manually add all parameters before distributing their tool URL; Rock the Vote does not create URLs with parameters included.

All parameters work the same way, but using more than one parameters can be useful for partners who want to track more than one thing. See “4. Using Multiple Parameters” for more information.

Information that you collect via these parameters will be included in CSV’s available via the Partner Platform. To learn more, see “Understanding Your CSV of Registrant Data” in the FAQs.

1. Pre-Fill the Registration Form for Users

If you would like to pre-populate information for your registrants, you can append the following URL parameters. This can be useful if you know information ahead of time or want to dynamically add information from another tool.

• Title: [your tool’s url]?name_title=Mrs.
• First Name: [your tool’s url]?first_name=john
• Last Name: [your tool’s url]?last_name=smith
• Street Address: [your tool’s url]?home_address=123+Main
• Unit: [your tool’s url]?home_unit=8
• City: [your tool’s url]?home_city=New+York
• Zip Code: [your tool’s url]?home_zip_code=12345
• Phone Number: [your tool’s url]?phone=9255551212&phone_type=Mobile
• Email Address: [your tool’s url]?email_address=abc@def.com

2. Adjust the Display of Your Registration Form

Pre-set the language of the form: Add the locale parameter and select the language. Available values are:

All Tools:

• English: [your tool’s url]?locale=en&utm_medium=weglot-en
• Spanish: [your tool’s url]?locale=es&utm_medium=weglot-es

OVR Tool Only:

• Korean: [your tool’s url]?locale=ko&utm_medium=weglot-ko
• Tagalog: [your tool’s url]?locale=tl&utm_medium=weglot-tl
• Ilocano: [your tool’s url]?locale=ilo&utm_medium=weglot-il
• Hindi: [your tool’s url]?locale=hi&utm_medium=weglot-hi
• Thai: [your tool’s url]?locale=th&utm_medium=weglot-th
• Vietnamese: [your tool’s url]?locale=vi&utm_medium=weglot-vi
• Chinese (Simplified): [your tool’s url]?locale=zh&utm_medium=weglot-zh
• Chinese (Traditional): [your tool’s url]?locale=zh-tw&utm_medium=weglot-zh-tw
• Japanese: [your tool’s url]?locale=ja&utm_medium=weglot-ja
• Urdu: [your tool’s url]?locale=ur&utm_medium=weglot-ur
• Bengali: [your tool’s url]?locale=bn&utm_medium=weglot-bn

Skip email collection on the first page of the form: [your tool’s url]?collectemailaddress=no

Display a long version of the form: [your tool’s url]?short_form=false

3. Using Source Codes

You can also add source codes to track the success of various campaigns, affiliates, social media posts.

Example: A national organization with local affiliates can register with one tool and use source codes for each affiliate. This allows you to house all of the data in one location — by using source codes, you can easily sort registrant data and know how each affiliate is doing.

• [your tool’s url]?source=newjerseybranch
• [your tool’s url]?tracking=newyorkbranch
• [your tool’s url]?utm_source=facebook
• [your tool’s url]?utm_medium=email
• [your tool’s url]?utm_campaign=fall_voter_registration
•  [your tool’s url]?utm_term=keyword
• [your tool’s url]?utm_content=version1

4. Using Multiple Parameters

You can combine your parameters to fill multiple fields at once. Here’s an example: [your tool’s url]?state=FL&source=newjerseybranch&email_address=john@smith.com&tracking=digitalads

Using Parameters in your Embeds

See the FAQ “Ways to Use URL Parameters with a Link” for basic information on what parameters do and how to use them with a link like https://register.rockthevote.com/?partner=xxxxx

This FAQ covers how to use source parameters in your embed code. The embed code found in your Partner Portal can be modified to include parameters that have the same function: collecting data on the origins of your users (or prepopulating data).

Adding parameters to your embed code

The embed code you see in the Partner Portal will look like this:

<script type=”text/javascript” src=”https://dev.rocky.rockthevote.com/assets/rtv-iframe.js”></script>
<script type=”text/javascript”>
RtvIframe.init({
partner: xxxxx
})
</script>

To add parameters, place a comma after your Partner ID (xxxxx in the above example) and before the bracket ( } ), and add a parameter(s), then the value in quotation marks, followed by a comma. Adding utm_source would look like this (additions bolded):

<script type=”text/javascript” src=”https://dev.rocky.rockthevote.com/assets/rtv-iframe.js”></script>
<script type=”text/javascript”>
RtvIframe.init({
partner: xxxxx,

utm_source: “source code you have generated”,

})
</script>

You can add as many parameters as you would like.

Available parameters

UTM codes

UTM codes (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term and utm_content) will work for all tools.

Additional parameters

The following parameters are also available, and may vary between tools.

For locales (language codes), see the FAQ “Ways to Use URL Parameters with a Link.”

Voter Registration Tool

source: “string”,
tracking: “string”,
state: “string”, // 2-letter state abbreviation (capital letters) e.g. “CA”
home_zip_code: “string”, // 5-digit zip code
email_address: “string”,
first_name: “string”,
last_name: “string”

Absentee Ballot Request Tool

source: “string”,
tracking: “string”,
state: “string”, // 2-letter state abbreviation (capital letters) e.g. “CA”
zip: “string”, // 5-digit zip code
email: “string”,
first_name: “string”,
last_name: “string”

Voter Status Lookup Tool

source: “string”,
tracking: “string”,
state: “string”, // 2-letter state abbreviation (capital letters) e.g. “CA”
zip: “string”, // 5-digit zip code
email: “string”,
first_name: “string”,
last_name: “string”

Pledge to Vote Tool

source: “string”,
tracking: “string”,
state: “string”, // 2-letter state abbreviation (capital letters) e.g. “CA”
email: “string”,
first: “string”,
last: “string”

Tracking pixels 

A tracking pixel, also known as a marketing pixel, is a 1×1 pixel graphic used to track behavior, site conversions, web traffic and other metrics, similar to a cookie. When implemented properly, these tiny bits of code can optimize digital ad campaigns and digital programming.

Pixels and RTV’s Suite of Tools

Rock the Vote Civic Tech tools are designed to support tracking pixels, or snippets, such as Google Analytics and Facebook Pixels to track conversions and other metrics. Partners can integrate multiple pixels in two places on our tool: through automatic chase emails and through the UI.

Why Partners Use Tracking Pixels

Tracking pixels can be paired with RTV’s Online Voter Registration tool to learn more about users of the tool.

Pixels allow partners to track email open rates and digital ad impressions. Notably as well, through built-in User Interface Tracking on our Online Voter Registration tool, pixels provided by partners can be placed in two locations (one script on all pages, and a second script only on the conversion/confirmation page) to track page conversions. On our tool, page conversion data can be used as a metric to track if users made it successfully to the registration confirmation page.

Please reach out to civictech@rockthevote.org if you have any questions on how-to best use tracking pixels in your programming.

Email Tracking

The Online Voter Registration and Absentee Ballot Request tools send users follow up emails in order to maintain user engagement throughout the voting process. In addition to customizing the text of these emails, you can also monitor and track users that open these automatic messages via Google Analytics.

You can add your own snippet to chaser emails in the Partner Portal. Add the desired code into each email and submit for review. When Rock the Vote approves your customization, your tracking will be live.

Here is some sample code to get you started:

<img src=”http://www.google-analytics.com/collect?v=1&tid=YOURTRACKINGCODE&cid=<%= @registrant.uid %>&t=event&ec=email&ea=confirmation_open&el=<%= @registrant.partner_id %>&cs=reminder&cm=email&cn=ovr_email_opens&cm1=1&ul=en-us” />

User Interface Tracking

Your suite of Civic Engagement tools can also support tracking pixels in two places in the user interface layer:

1. Script that goes on all pages
2. Script that goes on only the conversation/confirmation page

After you’ve created your snippets, please send the code Rock the Vote at civictech@rockthevote.org for placement in your tool.

An application programming interface (API) is available for developers to build a custom solution for voter registration and provide reporting solutions outside of the Partner Portal. Partners who are interested in additional functionality can read the documentation and contact us at civictech@rockthevote.org to gain access.

October 26, 2022

October 11, 2022

Updates to the Absentee Ballot Request tool

September 7, 2022

General upgrades

We’re always working to keep our tool as reliable, user friendly and accurate as you have come to expect over the last 30 years. This release includes:

1. Doing voter registration in PA and not seeing expected results in your reports? Some partners may not have seen the metrics they were hoping for. Pennsylvania registrants were always able to complete their registrations with the state via Connected Voter Registration, and going forward, you’ll have access to all of this data via your exports.
2. Updated voter registration deadlines for the General Election for states with late primaries.
3. Updates to validation for 18 year olds using the Absentee Ballot Request tool.
4. Accessibility updates: language tags, unique IDs where multiple buttons appear on the same page.

August 23, 2022

Online Voter Registration

Connected Voter Registration is live in Washington! As part of Rock the Vote’s ongoing goal of modernizing the voter registration process, Connected Voter Registration has been released in Washington. Registrants with the proper identification submitting voter registrations in WA through RTV’s OVR tool are now submitting their registrations directly to state election officials for review- they do not need to click out to WA’s portal. WA joins PA, VA and MI as the fourth Connected VR state in Rock the Vote’s OVR system.

Other upgrades:

1. Updates to voter registration deadlines for states with August primaries.
2. An update to a URL in a chase email for the absentee ballot request tool.
3. A backend fix that will allow for more complete party selections in all states.

April 14, 2022

General Upgrades

We’re always working to keep our tool as reliable, user friendly and accurate as you have come to expect over the last 30 years. This release includes:

1. Support for absentee ballot requests in additional states.
2. Fix for CSVs incorrectly marking registrants as finish with state=true when they completed registrations with state voter registration portal.
3. Identification of of deprecated report for users of Pennsylvania canvassing application.
4. Updates to voter registration deadlines to reflect upcoming deadlines.

February 14, 2022

Voter Status Lookup tool, Pledge to Vote tool and Absentee Ballot Request tool

Overview:

Embed codes for all tools are now live! You can now embed all of the Rock the Vote suite of voter engagement tools in the same way that you can embed your online voter registration tool. Find the embed codes and other useful ways to link to your tools in your Partner Portal.

With this release all comes additional reporting tools. To access information on the voters interacting with your tools, click “Reports” in the Partner Portal. You have access to reports for each tool. If you’re pulling reports via the API, view https://rock-the-vote.github.io/Voter-Registration-Tool-API-Docs/#reports for the values to use to access these reports.

You can also use parameters in your embed codes to track your efforts. These are available in the FAQ titled “Using Parameters with Embeds.”

Finally, if you’ve branded your voter registration tool, this branding will absolutely carry over to the new embeds. Learn more about white labeling your tool in the FAQ labeled “How to create a white label tool.”

Other upgrades:

We’re always working to keep our tool as reliable, user friendly and accurate as you have come to expect over the last 30 years. This release also includes:

1. A bug fix for the completion of the voter registration form in California in Tagalog.
2. Updates to a few straggling 2021 voter registration deadlines.
3. An update to the absentee ballot tool to push voters directly to the Election Alerts sign up tool.
4. Some translation fixes

February 7, 2022

Absentee Ballot Request tool is relaunched for 2022 with the state of Texas!

Overview:

Rock the Vote helps voters through each step of the voting process, including absentee ballot requests. The absentee ballot portal for Texas has been relaunched so that voters can request absentee ballots prior to the February 18, 2022 deadline.

The tool will take users through the steps to confirm eligibility and allow them to select the election that they’d like to request a ballot for, and they can repeat the process for as many requests as they need (Texas only allows voters to request an absentee ballot for one election per form). In designing the interface, Rock the Vote has been extremely careful to prevent forms from being denied by election officials.

Please note: The form will be live through February 18th to allow voters to print out and hand-deliver the form to their election officials and then will be disabled through the March 1 primary so that voters do not mistakenly believe they can still get an absentee ballot in time to vote. Rock the Vote will reenable the tool shortly after the election.

To use the tool and generate reports, use the following link:

https://register.rockthevote.com/absentee?partner=##### and replace the ##### with your Partner ID.

Up Next:

Embed codes for all of our tools (including the Absentee Ballot tool), and additional states for absentee ballot requests!

January 19, 2022

Pledge to Vote (Election Alerts) and Voter Status Lookup tools

Overview:

Rock the Vote offers voters simple and reliable tools for each step of the voting journey. With this release, we’ve made upgrades to the infrastructure behind the Pledge to Vote tool (sends voters accurate and timely election reminders) and the Voter Status Lookup tool (voters can check on their registration status). Currently, these tools are available as links: https://register.rockthevote.com/pledge and https://register.rockthevote.com/lookup.

Up Next:

We can’t wait until you can embed all of our tools in the same way you currently use the voter registration tool. Stay tuned for embed codes and reports for the Pledge to Vote, Voter Status Lookup tool and the Absentee Ballot Request tool.

The Absentee Ballot Request portal will be available to voters in advance of their primaries for all states.

December 7, 2021

Online Voter Registration

Overview:

Rock the Vote knows that spam is inevitable AND that you value accurate data. Our quarterly security update includes a feature allowing you to remove bots from your reports.

What’s new:

• Not all registrations are created alike. All internet sites are subject to bot activity and we have identified a way for you to filter out this activity from your reports. Run an extend report and look for the “Viewed Steps” column. If this column is blank, the registration is likely from a bot: the user did not complete enough actions to be human.
• Ways to use: Depending on how you utilize your reports, you might choose to delete these rows, filter them out or exclude the emails from your follow ups. Email us at civictech@rockthevote.org with your use cases!

Up Next:

• Election Alert Tool upgrades: Rock the Vote provides some of the most trusted and reliable Election Alerts around. You can already embed the widget on your site but soon you’ll be able to use your White Label branding to make the tool match your site and pull reports on who is signing up.