# BallotReady

> BallotReady is a Chicago-based civic technology company behind the nonpartisan online voter guide at ballotready.org - the place you go before you vote. It gives Americans tailored, trustworthy information on every candidate and referendum on their ballot, all the way down to school boards and water reclamation districts, plus tools to register, find a polling place, and make a plan to vote. Through its CivicEngine platform and API, BallotReady also powers voter registration, candidate recruitment, and turnout campaigns for organizations, brands, and nonprofits. Founded in 2015 out of the University of Chicago, it has helped tens of millions of voters and was acquired by Civitech in May 2025.

- **Founded:** 2015
- **Headquarters:** Chicago, Illinois, United States
- **Founders:** Alex Niemczewski (Co-Founder & CEO), Aviva Rosman (Co-Founder & COO), Sebastian Ellefson (Co-Founder)
- **Team size:** ~60-114 employees (reported range prior to acquisition)
- **Products:** BallotReady Voter Guide, CivicEngine Platform, CivicEngine API, Voter Registration Direct Mail, Candidate Recruitment Tools
- **Notable:** Helped over 8 million Americans understand their ballot in 2018, with data on 94,000+ candidates in all 50 states., Won the University of Chicago Social New Venture Challenge ($100,000) in 2015., Grew from paper flyers for a Chicago mayoral race to a national civic data platform.

## Products & services

- **BallotReady Voter Guide** — Free, nonpartisan online guide where voters research every candidate and referendum on their ballot, register to vote, find their polling place, see who represents them, and make a plan to vote.
- **CivicEngine Platform** — Customized digital civic platform that organizations, brands, and campaigns use to register voters, recruit candidates, and drive turnout, with VAN/CRM integrations and real-time dashboards.
- **CivicEngine API** — Developer API delivering BallotReady's election and elected-official data - candidates, ballots, polling places, districts - for all 50 states and DC.
- **Voter Registration Direct Mail** — Nonpartisan direct-mail solution that identifies unregistered voters and walks them through the registration steps.
- **Candidate Recruitment Tools** — Resources to help prospective candidates understand offices, requirements, and how to run for local office.

## Achievements

- Helped over 8 million Americans understand their ballot in 2018, with data on 94,000+ candidates in all 50 states.
- Won the University of Chicago Social New Venture Challenge ($100,000) in 2015.
- Grew from paper flyers for a Chicago mayoral race to a national civic data platform.
- Built one of the most comprehensive nonpartisan databases of candidates and elected officials in the U.S.
- Acquired by Civitech in May 2025.
- Acquired PioneerGov to expand local government data coverage.

## Latest updates

- **2025-05** — BallotReady acquired by Civitech (deal closed May 22, 2025).
- **2024-11** — Powered nonpartisan voter registration, ballot research, and turnout tools for the 2024 U.S. general election, including faith communities and brand partners.
- **2020-08** — Launched Snapchat integration for in-app voter registration and ballot info.

## Links

- Website: https://www.ballotready.org
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ballotready
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ballotready
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ballotready

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ballotready
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-16