The Number One Selling Duo in Music History are Teaming Up With San Francisco Technology Leaders to Empower Voters Across US
San Francisco - November 1, 2018 - Rock And Roll Hall of Famers Daryl Hall & John Oates in a joint effort with Twilio, the leading cloud communications platform and Lyft, whose mission is to improve people’s lives with the world’s best transportation, today announced the general availability of Getting Out The Voates With Daryl Hall & John Oates, an SMS application that empowers voters to find their polling place and facilitate transportation on Election Day, November 6, 2018.
U.S. voters can dial (540) 4-VOATES (540-486-2837) from a mobile phone then hear a message from John Oates, then opt-in to a text message bot that guides them through the process of making a plan for voting. The app includes information such as eligibility for early voting and any other restrictions, which may vary by county or state. It also prompts the user to download Lyft, and take advantage of the 50% discount on Election Day to make it easier to access polling locations.
“Like most of my good ideas, the pun came first, then a vision for the app followed,” said Michael Selvidge, former Twilio employee and co-creator of the Daryl Hall and John Oates themed hotline Callin’ Oates. “I knew that Lyft had made a huge commitment to getting voters to the polls this year, and that Twilio through its Twilio.org arm is deeply committed to civic engagement. So I messaged some of my contacts within Daryl Hall & John Oates, Twilio, and Lyft and the rest is history. It was an incredible team effort from a lot of folks who were passionate about the idea.”
“Encouraging people to vote is something we have always supported and valued," said John Oates. "I’m happy to be a part of this simple new way to learn about voting options while also enabling more accessibility to the voting polls.”
“Twilio is committed to advancing the discourse between people and their elected officials,” said Erin Reilly, VP of social impact at Twilio. “Voting is one of the most important ways to do that. Callin’ Voates lowers the barrier of entry for people trying to get to the polls, and we’re pleased to be partnering with Lyft and Daryl Hall & John Oates on this initiative.”
“We want to make it easy for people across the country to exercise their right to vote, and we’re using our platform to help eliminate that pain point from the voting process, to ensure everyone’s voice can be heard,” said Mike Masserman, head of social impact at Lyft. “We’re excited to announce this collaboration with rock legends Daryl Hall & John Oates and Twilio, to make sure people across the country are easily able to find their polling location and make a plan to vote this year - and to do it in a fun and engaging way.”
Getting Out The Voates With Daryl Hall & John Oates is a free service, standard call and SMS rates apply.
About Daryl Hall & John Oates:
From the mid-'70s to the mid-'80s, the duo would score six #1 singles, including "Rich Girl" (also #1 R&B), "Kiss on My List," "Private Eyes," "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) (also #1 R&B), "Maneater" and "Out of Touch" from their six consecutive multi-platinum albums-'76's Bigger Than Both of Us, '80's Voices, '81's Private Eyes, '82's H2O, '83's Rock N Soul, Part I and '84's Big Bam Boom. The era would also produce an additional 5 Top 10 singles, "Sara Smile," "One on One," "You Make My Dreams," "Say It Isn't So" and "Method of Modern Love." By 1987, the RIAA recognized Daryl Hall and John Oates as the NUMBER-ONE SELLING DUO in music history, a record they still hold today.
In 2014, Daryl and John were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 2018 finds Daryl Hall and John Oates very much at the height of their powers making their own kind of soul, with a new generation of musicians recognizing not only their historic track record of success, but also their continuing influence and achievements.
About Twilio:
Millions of developers around the world have used Twilio to unlock the magic of communications to improve any human experience. Twilio has democratized communications channels like voice, text, chat, and video by virtualizing the world’s telecommunications infrastructure through APIs that are simple enough for any developer to use, yet robust enough to power the world’s most demanding applications. By making communications a part of every software developer's toolkit, Twilio is enabling innovators across every industry — from emerging leaders to the world’s largest organizations — to reinvent how companies engage with their customers.
About Lyft:
Lyft was founded in 2012 by Logan Green and John Zimmer to improve people’s lives with the world’s best transportation, and is available to 96 percent of the United States population as well as select cities in Ontario, Canada. As the only rideshare company to offset carbon emissions from all rides, Lyft is preferred for its commitment to effecting positive change for our cities, and promoting transportation equity through shared rides, electric bikes and scooters, and public transit partnerships.