File Apps

Lest you get any ideas about looking away from your screen to pick up the paper election guide you got in the mail and finally get down to reading about all the other candidates and issues besides Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, Facebook wants to suck you back in.

So after you’ve watched all the recipe videos you want on Facebook, and read all about Lindsay Lohan and the other celebrities on the Trending list, the social network has another treat for you: an election ballot preview to prepare you for Nov. 8.

The tool can give you information about races and issues on your ballot. After you read up about them, you can mark your favorites, ask your Facebook friends for their opinions or email yourself your choices. And since it’s Facebook, you can choose to share your picks if you’d like.

Also, Google wants to help you find your polling place, and has been offering a bunch of Google-gathered voting information in its search results. And if you DM (direct message) Twitter’s @Gov account, you can plug in your address and an oh-so helpful chat bot will let you know who’s running for mayor and city council where you live, plus other ballot measures and where to find more information about them.

That’s just the big companies that most everyone has heard of. Other efforts from Silicon Valley to encourage and help voters include the Sean Parker-backed Brigade app, which offers a social ballot guide that encourages political debate. There’s also Voteplz, created by Y Combinator’s Sam Altman and others, which is available in an app or on the web and includes everything from voter registration (too late now, though) to information about voting rights to what to expect if you’ve never voted before.