Our Story

It was 2020, and things weren’t great. That summer, Judd and Jeremy spent time decompressing in their garage, talking about the state of the world. They were frustrated. Their friends were frustrated, and their friends’ friends were frustrated. The more they talked, the more they realized they wanted to do something. And they wondered how every-day citizens could have more impact. The answer was clear: by voting.

Unfortunately, getting people to vote isn’t always simple. This is when they realized they could make it easier. They could make a basic phone app that would simplify the voting process. This app could make it easier for everyone to know where candidates stand. This app could be your buddy at the polls.

Since then, they launched Ballot Buddy, a mobile voting app, and found they were right. Launched only six days before the 2020 election, the Ballot Buddy promotional video had 19,000 views and the app had 1200 downloads. Thanks to the initial 2020 Kickstarter campaign and generous funding from the Ellen Braken Weise Foundation, Ballot Buddy is ready for the next step! Ballot Buddy is growing to become a multi-language (English, Spanish, and Somali) mobile resource for major gubernatorial, senate, and congressional election races in the U.S. in 2024 as well as the 2024 presidential race. 

Nonpartisan. Period.

Ballot Buddy’s greatest value comes from the accuracy and nonpartisan nature of the information collected and provided. To get the most reliable data possible on candidates, we take a multifaceted approach.

First, we digitally scraped the internet for candidate information. This method essentially combs specific websites for names, keywords, and phrases and “scrapes” the information surrounding it. We also connect with candidates to confirm their official stances and pull data directly from well-known political websites, including ontheissues.org, votesmart.org, and ballotpedia.org.

After consolidating all of these data points into a single source, we conduct a sensitivity analysis, allowing us to test whether or not to include a specific piece of information, allowing the system to categorize candidates based on our data. The process is completed with several rounds of user testing to make sure that the data presented is as straightforward and nonpartisan as possible.

Meet the Team

  • Jeremy works as a Senior Data Engineer at Optum. He uses his experiences throughout his 9+ years in the IT industry to help create the infrastructure necessary to get the data needed for Ballot Buddy.


  • Like many, 2020 drastically changed the landscape of Judd’s future. Judd was on the cusp of finishing his master’s degree in sports management, until the pandemic hit. COVID-19 not only took the possibility of getting into the sports field away, it also took the entertainment that sports provided away as well. Judd’s competitive nature led him to watching something almost as riveting as sports - politics. This new interest peaked at the right time.

    While Judd was pursuing his degrees he interned at a television content production company where he developed a podcast called Misadventures. He also worked for an app company called Favor, coached youth basketball, and worked at a local brewery.

    Aside from his love of sports and his interest in politics, Judd is also an animal lover. He loves the outdoors, whether that is fishing or snowboarding. If he is stuck indoors, he enjoys reading a good book or playing video games.

Meet the Board

  • Shona is an entrepreneurial leader who specializes in business growth. Her roles within for- and non-profit organizations have led to exciting opportunities around the world and have moved her across the country multiple times. For the past 15 years, Shona has held executive roles within the Public Media industry, developing innovative audience and revenue growth partnerships with organizations like the BBC, The New York Times, NPR, TED, The Moth, and Marketplace. Shona’s love of the outdoors was sparked early on, growing up on the West Coast—from Alaska to California and everywhere in between. She and her husband currently live in Minneapolis and are obsessed with all things cycling, hiking, and cross-country skiing related.

  • Nancy Cassutt is a seasoned media professional with extensive experience in newsroom leadership, change management, editorial strategy, and digital media. She has served in multiple media leadership roles in the past 35 years, including as Executive Director of Minnesota Public Radio News and Programming, and most recently leading the largest broadcast business and economics show in the country, Marketplace, with a national audience of more than 9 million weekly listeners.

  • Born and raised in central North Dakota, Nick was no stranger to Kitchen Table Issues from an

    early age. His first job was running cameras at City Hall for the Park Board, City Commission,

    and School Board Meetings in Bismarck and Mandan, North Dakota. Seeing, since 2016, how

    misinformation and bias plagued his hometown and even home state, we knew something had

    to change.

    Nick started as the Volunteer/ Donations Coordinator for Chase Iron Eyes for ND back in 2016

    and then went on to attend Minnesota State University Moorhead for his bachelors in Education.

    That plan changed drastically in 2020. Nick started work in the nonprofit field first at St.

    Catherine University which led him to his current role at Amherst H. Wilder Foundation.

    Nick currently resides in the West Seventh neighborhood of St. Paul with his dog where a hike

    along the Mississippi River is always a must

  • Maggie is a strategic marketer, brand builder and entrepreneur who thrives while designing a vision and leading a team toward a common goal. She consults with companies to elevate their brand, negotiate/activate sports sponsorships, and secure naming rights partnerships.

    She specializes in the business of sports and enjoys serving on the non-profit Boards for Bolder Options, (an activities-based youth mentorship program) and Free Bikes 4 Kidz. She also serves on the advisory board for the Dougherty Family College at the University of St. Thomas. Maggie is inspired to help Ballot Buddy educate and empower people to vote in local and national elections.

  • Ellen Wiese is an accomplished attorney, dedicated philanthropist, and passionate advocate for positive change. Ellen's journey is defined by her commitment to justice, community, and the empowerment of others.

    At Eden Prairie High School, Ellen extends her passion for mentorship and community engagement to the basketball court. As the coach of the high school girls' basketball team, she not only imparts valuable athletic skills but also instills the principles of teamwork, resilience, and leadership in the next generation.

    Ellen is a driving force in the realm of philanthropy. She spearheads a foundation committed to making a meaningful impact on the lives of those in need. Through strategic initiatives and unwavering dedication, Ellen strives to create positive change and leave a lasting legacy of compassion and generosity.

Get in touch

Send us a message and Jeremy or Judd will get back to you as soon as possible.

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We have a lot of work to do to make this happen and we need your help!

In the coming months, we’ll share our updates. This year, our focus is to update the Ballot Buddy website, update the iPhone app, create an app for Android, test our work, and fundraise to go big in January 2024. Sign up to stay in touch and see our updates come to life!