(CBS DETROIT) – A nonpartisan mobile app created and launched in Detroit called Politics on the Go is educating the next generation of voters.
“[It’s] a one-stop shop for political information,” says 27-year-old Arabia Simeon, the app’s founder. “Politics on the Go, or POGO, [simplifies] civic engagement for Generation Z and Millennials.”
Touted as a personalized voter guide with a Tinder-like design, POGO helps users find candidates they align with so they can build their ballot before heading to the polls.
“Swiping left and right on politicians, [is] probably something no one ever thought they would ever do,” Simeon said. “It makes it a bit of fun.”
Simeon, a self-described “Zennial,” says she founded POGO to educate young voters like her while promoting political engagement on Election Day and throughout the year.
“[When I first voted]I didn’t know anything was going on at my local level,” she said. “I completely forgot about the local candidates, and I thought, who are these people?”
A national poll recently released by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics shows that among 18- to 29-year-olds nationwide, more than half of young Americans say they will definitely vote this fall. presidential elections. Simeon says if they do, she wants them to have all the information they need at their fingertips in one app.
“POGO is my opportunity to actually use my skills as a vehicle for change to actually help young people, and that’s actually what I care about most,” Simeon said.
