Our mission
We’re reinventing politics, from the bottom-up
Have you ever gone to vote, only to realize that you don't know half of the elections on your ballot? We've all been there—it takes hours to be prepared for these elections. But even if we haven't heard of them, these smaller offices have a huge impact on our daily lives and our communities.
We believe that getting informed for these elections should be easy and convenient, so we created Branch–a free, nonpartisan website that walks you through the elections and candidates in your area. We break down who the candidates are, what they believe, and why it matters, so you can quickly and confidently vote for who aligns with your values.
Our history
Big impact in a short time
In just a few years, we've helped voters, candidates, and civic engagement organizations approach elections in a new way.
How we do it
We combine the best of tech and political research to modernize elections
Our promises
We're committed to
doing things the right way
Nonpartisan Promise
Our goal is to inform your vote and never to influence it. We treat each candidate with fairness by asking the same, straightforward questions about their platforms. The difference shows: in 2020, 30% of Branch users voted across party-lines, which is 3 times the national average.
Journalistic Integrity
Branch is structured to separate all election research from any sources of money. This insures candidates and organizations do not influence Branch's candidate research.
Data Privacy Promise
Branch will never sell or share your personal information with anyone. Period. Read our full privacy policy here.
The Branch team
WALTER LEY
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Walter is passionate about using technology to make the world a better place. For years, Walter worked as a software engineer and product manager in the financial technology industry, before quitting his job to start Branch. He now uses this technical background to make it as easy as possible for voters to get informed about important local elections. Walter graduated from Georgia Tech, with a Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering and a minor in Business.
ALEXI JENKINS
Chief Operations Officer
Alexi believes strongly that democratizing information is necessary to build a just and equitable world. She uses her extensive legal and political expertise to lead Branch's political research activities, including researching local elections and candidates, in order to make this vital information accessible to voters. Alexi graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor's in Political Science and graduated from Harvard Law School with a Juris Doctor. Alexi previously worked as a lawyer in California, where she was a member of the California Bar.
SUMMER TAN
User Experience Designer
Summer is a digital product designer based in Colorado. Born in China and raised as a global citizen, she brings polar-opposite cultures together and embraces challenges with an open mind. At Branch, Summer leverages her international background to design intuitive experiences that work for the diverse society we live in. She believes that good user experiences lead to good decisions and actions, which are exactly what we want for local voters.
SHONDELL COZIER
Social Entreprenurship Intern
Shondell is a current graduate student at Georgia State University studying Public Administration in Management and Finance. She is Co-Founder of The Cozier Group, a change management firm that partners with businesses to develop best practices for organizational growth, improve sales processes and increase profitability. At Branch, she combines her passions for business and public administration to develop innovative new social impact programs within a social enterprise framework.
OREOFE ADERIBIGBE
User Experience Designer
Oreofe is a product designer from Atlanta, Georgia. Oreofe's passion is using his skills to create tangible and positive experiences for everyday people. At Branch, he uses this passion and skillset to turn the political experience from something that can be stressful and overwhelming into something that sparks curiosity and joy. Oreofe graduated from Georgia Tech with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering.
CHRISTINA HERD
Policy Researcher
Christina is dedicated to using public policy to improve Georgian’s lives on a state and local level. She has worked as an Executive Assistant to the Chief Judge and a legal intern at Georgia’s Office of State Administrative Hearings. Christina is pursuing her law degree and her Masters in Public Administration at Georgia State University. Christina uses this legal and policy experience to breakdown complex legislation and the Georgia judicial system into something voters can easily understand. She received her Bachelors in Public Policy from Georgia Tech in 2017, and she remains involved as an alumnus of Georgia Tech’s student run theatre, DramaTech.
ADDISON DASCHER
Policy and Elections Researcher
Addison is currently studying Public Policy with a minor in International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is involved as an Ambassador for the Ivan Allen Liberal Arts College, a TA, and a research assistant. Her time abroad in France offers her a more global perspective at Branch. She is passionate about social justice and voting rights, and she applies these passions at Branch to create a platform where every voter has access to nonpartisan information.
PATRICK CLINCH
Elections Researcher
Patrick is passionate about improving access to quality information for voters. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2021 with a dual-major in Political Science and History. He draws on his experiences working in legislative and political fields to communicate the information that voters need to make confident decisions. Patrick is currently a Marshall Scholar pursuing an MSt in History at the University of Oxford, with a focus on how media can affect political attitudes.
LEONARDO RODRIGUEZ
Elections Researcher
Leonardo graduated from Georgia State University with a B.S. in Economics in 2017. After graduating, Leonardo worked at the US Capitol through the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Public Policy Fellowship. At Branch, he uses his background working with LGBTQ, Latino, Black, Indigenous, and disabled students to make election information accessible to people of diverse backgrounds.
AVIELLE KRUG
Elections Researcher
As a proud Atlanta native, Avielle is excited to help Branch empower voters with knowledge about their policymakers. Avielle is a recent graduate from Georgia Tech. She is interested in the intersection of strategic legal decisions and their impact on the greater community. She previously worked at the Georgia State Capitol, an experience which drives her passion for the highlighting the impact of state government. This August, Avielle is making the big move to Washington D.C to attend law school.
CHARLOTTE DENSMORE
Elections Researcher
Charlotte is passionate about the power of local politics to impact the day-to-day lives of Georgians. She graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Public Policy in 2020 and from the University of Oxford with an MSc in Comparative Social Policy in 2021. Since graduating, she has been writing a textbook on extreme crisis policy. At Branch, Charlotte draws on experiences from working at the Georgia State Capitol and her Master’s thesis on pharmaceutical policy to identify and translate nuanced political information to wider audiences.