After agreeing to go on a date with someone new, you begin to hit it off and start to get a good feeling about where this is going. Then they drop a bombshell, they share the completely opposite political views as you. For many politcally-minded people this can be a deal breaker.
In an attempt to get more young people interested in politics, dating apps have begun to target young voters. Last week, the Los Angeles-based group HelpsGood partnered with Rock the Vote to launch a new app called candiDate in an attempt to get 18 to 29-year-olds more engaged in politics.
The app connects users with others who share similar core values. Users are asked questions about taxes and if they support the building of the Keystone XL pipeline, and then asked to swipe right to "yay" or left to "nay" through ten different members of the House of Representatives and Senate who voted similarly on the issues.
Then users are matched to their best candidate for a date, allowing them to chat to discuss these issues and a potential date.
"The goal was to create something that would inspire more young people to register to vote," candiDate's site says. "Over 50% of 18-29-year-old eligible voters aren't registered so we created a fun dating app that also gets them engaged with the political process."
And candiDate is not the only the only app attempting to get Millennials to talk more about politics.
Votr, another political mobile app, connects users with others based on their political views,but these aren't real, potential dates. Instead users are matched with U.S. Senate candidates. Users are asked political questions like where they stand on gay marriage or the legalization of marijuana, choosing answers provided only in emoji form. They then can see the candidate that follows similar political values, swiping right to "love" them or left to "leave" them.
"It's a real perfect mix of something that's important and fun," says Scott Cohen, CEO of the online publication Vocativ behind the app.
While these apps are a great tool to educate young people on politics, many who use the apps may already be registered voters. Still, they may encourage Millennials to hit the voting booth or find a new political love, whether it's on a real date or just in theory.
According to a Match.com survey taken in 2012, 17 percent of men and 20 percent of women reported that dating someone who is part of their political parry is a must.
[PHOTO CREDIT: candiDate]
