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Politically-inclined social-networking startup Votizen is attracting big-name donors and a lot of attention

Sean Parker the founder of Napster, and an early investor in Facebook and Spotify leads a group of investors that is pouring money into a new project that's all about politics. The startup, Votizen, is not shy about its ambitions: It hopes to use social-networking to change how our democracy works. Here's what you should know:

How does Votizen work? Utilizing a national database of 200 million voting records, Votizen allows its 600,000-plus users to find out if their friends on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are registered voters. Once they've connected, users can spread campaign material, mobilize grassroots action on specific issues, or simply hang out with those of a similar ideological bent.

How is that different from Facebook? Votizen wants to be more than just the "Facebook for politics," Votizen co-founder David Binetti tells Talking Points Memo. "Half a million people run for office of one form or another in this country, but there's no place where that data is collected or maintained yet." Binetti says he envisions a forum where users can create networks around any election, from the White House down to your local school board.The investors certainly see room for growth, withParker telling All Things Dthat the political industry "is a bit behind the rest of the economy in embracing these new technologies."

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Sources: All Things D, Talking Points Memo, TechCrunch

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