Yes, the 2020 Presidential race and 2021 senate runoff elections are in the rearview mirror. While many may be rejoicing that TV ads and text message campaigns have ended, one Southeast-based startup is already looking ahead to ensure that future elections run smoothly.
EasyVote, founded by brothers Charles and Ron Davis, has grown as cities and states look to improve the operational processes surrounding elections.
“There are a lot of people trying to do the right things in elections,” co-founder Charles Davis told Hypepotamus this week. “And if I can give them tools on the process side to help them have a secure, efficient, and trusted election…that only helps everybody involved.”
While EasyVote does not count votes or touch the voter registration process, it plays an important role in the operational integrity of an election.
EasyVote has several different modules as part of its cloud-enabled SaaS platform, which can help onboard temporary poll workers or track election-related inventory (we all need our I VOTED sticker, after all). Cities and states can pick which modules are necessary for their specific jurisdictions.
“All of our tools are really about efficiency,” added Davis.
To date, EasyVote has been used in 18 states across the country. The software is used in over 100 counties in Georgia alone.
EasyFocus, EasyCampaignFinance, and EasyPollWorker are the most utilized modules, according to Davis.
EasyFocus is a workflow management tool and project management software specifically for election officials. EasyCampaignFinance, which deals with the regulatory aspects of campaign fundraising, can ultimately help the public see what money a candidate raised while ensuring the candidate follows all ethics rules.
Built on Microsoft Azure, the startup is also part of Microsoft’s Defending Democracy program. The team has also been on the GovTech 100 list four times.
Building Better Voting Operations in the Southeast
EasyVote got its start in Wilmington at the UNCW Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Since then, the team has expanded with co-workers based in Metro Atlanta, Texas, and across the Carolinas.
In 2018, EasyVote took an institutional investment from North Carolina-based Cofounders Capital.
Even as the team expands, Davis credits the budding entrepreneurial ecosystem in Wilmington for helping get the GovTech platform off the ground. “nCino and Live Oak proved you can grow here.”
“It’s very collaborative, and people are more willing to talk to other entrepreneurs and to talk through problems,” added Davis.
As election integrity becomes more of a buzzword, EasyVote believes they are ready to grow to address new election needs.
“We expect 2021 to be a pretty big year for us, because we are already getting a lot of inbound calls,” added Davis. “Our systems performed very well during the 2020 general elections…we had the most use our system has ever seen, and we had the best performing systems we’ve ever had.”
