USPS Voter Registration Service Criticized for Deceptive Practices
Emilia Rybak just wanted to register to vote. Last fall, although relocating from Novel York to Florida, Rybak encountered a frustrating experience with the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) Movers Guide website. Like millions of Americans who move each year, she used the site to update her address and intended to simultaneously register to vote.
After completing the initial form and paying the $1.25 identity verification fee, Rybak expected a straightforward voter registration process. Instead, she was redirected to a website filled with unskippable advertisements, despite the USPS logo being present. “You don’t have to be a [user experience] professional to head through this flow and observe that it’s highly unethical,” Rybak stated.
A Long-Standing Public-Private Partnership
For over 30 years, a company now known as MyMove has held an exclusive contract with USPS to manage change-of-address and voter registration services. This partnership operates without any direct government funding; instead, advertisers pay MyMove for access to movers’ contact information and the opportunity to display advertisements. MyMove then shares the revenue with USPS.
However, this arrangement has drawn criticism for employing what experts call “dark patterns”—deceptive design practices that manipulate users into unintended actions, such as clicking on ads or providing personal information. A former high-ranking official with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) described MyMove’s website as “deeply problematic” and raised concerns about potential regulatory action.
Settlement and Continued Complaints
In 2023, MyMove and its parent company, Red Ventures, settled a whistleblower allegation of defrauding USPS for $2.75 million. Notably, the settlement did not include an admission of liability. Despite the settlement, user complaints regarding the voter registration website persist, with many describing it as a “middle-man scam” and “predatory.” Users have documented their experiences in online reviews, highlighting the difficulty of simply updating their voter registration.
Dark Patterns and Manipulation
Lior Strahilevitz, a University of Chicago Law School professor specializing in behavioral law and economics, notes that MyMove employs “a pretty egregious cocktail of dark patterns.” His research indicates that aggressive dark patterns can significantly increase the rate at which customers sign up for unwanted services. He emphasizes that an entity partnering with the federal government should avoid such manipulative tactics and prioritize citizen privacy.
Rybak filed a complaint with the USPS Inspector General following her experience. WIRED independently verified a similar workflow during their own attempt to apply the MyMove voter registration process.