Founded in 2004, Mobile Voter is a non-profit non-partisan organization (501c.3) seeking to facilitate the process of civic participation via web and mobile technologies. Over the past four years, Mobile Voter has conducted innovative youth-focused campaigns making extensive use of mobile phone technology.
In 2006, Mobile Voter's, TXTVOTER '06 campaign registered tens of thousands of young voters across the country. The multi-pronged campaign leveraged the ubiquity of text messaging, a unique peer-to-peer registration model, and the organizational might of existing grassroots organizations. Over 200 groups worked with Mobile Voter to register and mobilize their constituencies. TXTVOTER '06 was funded by grants from the Pew Charitable Trusts (coordinated by Young Voter Strategies) and the MacArthur Foundation.
In 2007, Mobile Voter wrote a book with Rock the Vote entitled Mobilizing Generation2.0: Using Web2.0 Technologies to Recruit, Organize, and Engage Youth. It will be published by Wiley Press in 2008. Read more about it!
In 2008, we're organizing the future of volunteerism! Read all about it on our campaigns page.
Tel: 415.641.4921.
Email: info AT mobilevoter.org
Addr: 44 Elsie St. San Francisco, CA 94110
Ben Rigby and Grace Stanat are two former private-sector CEOs motivated by a common desire to apply Silicon Valley know-how to improving our democracy. Prior to running Mobile Voter, they managed teams that delivered mission-critical solutions to some of the nation's top companies such as Sony Playstation, The North Face, Nokia, Robert Mondavi, and Credit Suisse.
Ben Rigby
Ben graduated from Stanford University with Honors, Distinction, and Phi Beta Kappa. He went on to co-found Akimbo Design, a web design firm that created and managed the consumer Web sites for The North Face, Beringer Vineyards, California Pizza Kitchen and completed award-winning projects for Nokia, Sony Pictures, MGM, Calvin Klein, and Macromedia. His company produced three Web design books, won dozens of awards, and had work featured in major media publications such as Newsweek, the New York Times, Washington Post, and USA Today.
In 2002, Ben took a position as CTO of DFILM - a youth entertainment company creating web and mobile applications. At DFILM, he managed the launch of a youth-focused communication platform in partnership with KPN, the largest wireless operator in the Netherlands. He also launched a viral application that is consistently used by 300,000 unique users per month and has been licensed by Yahoo!, Sam Adams, IBM, the Sierra Club, and Old Navy.
In 2004, Ben founded and is currently co-executive director of Mobile Voter.
Grace Stanat
Grace graduated valedictorian from Pomona Collage with a dual degree in Mathematics and Fine Arts. He headed to Oxford as a Marshall Scholar in 1987 where he earned a Master's in Computer Science and a second Fine Arts Degree. In 1996, Grace founded and became CEO of 415 Productions, which grew to be a 65 person web development firm with clients such as Robert Mondavi Wineries, Sony Playstation, the San Francisco Symphony, KQED, The San Francisco Opera, the San Francisco Ballet, AXA Rosenberg, Credit Suisse, and the Library of Congress.
Grace's innovative and compassionate approach to managing teams has generated excitement among business media. He has been featured in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek and on NPR and Good Morning America.
Grace joined the Mobile Voter team as co-executive director in 2005.
Bart Cheever
Bart Cheever was a founding partner in Mobile Voter before stepping
down in 2005 to serve on San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's Digital
Media Advisory Council. He was founder and CEO of DFILM, a mobile and
online application developer focused on the youth market, where he
oversaw closing first round funding from Disney.
Cheever has 13 years producing and product managing experience in both
the film and technology world. He's produced a pilot for MTV Networks,
was invited by the Cannes Film Festival to organize their first ever
digital film showcase in 1999 and created one of the first sites to
show video on the web in 1994. Wired Magazine called him "one of 25
people reinventing entertainment" and he was named "one of the ten
coolest people in America" by Faith Popcorn's Brain Reserve.
Katrin Verclas





