I wanted to update you on one of our latest efforts to ensure democracy can thrive amidst the current COVID-19 crisis. As you may be aware, candidates and ballot measure campaigns need to collect signatures in order to be placed on the ballot. At the moment, in-person signature gathering has become unsafe, jeopardizing the efforts of grassroots campaigns to make it on the ballot and limiting access to a vital tool of direct democracy.

That’s why MapLight has released a prototype for software to allow for secure endorsement of ballot measures and candidates online. And, we’re offering to install the signature collection software free-of-charge for city and state governments that wish to move forward with digital endorsements for ballot measures and candidates.  

A screenshot of MapLight's prototype for software to allow for secure endorsement of ballot measures and candidates online.

Click here to read more about our offer to state and local governments as well as our history of building high-performance software to improve our democracy. Bringing signature gathering for ballot measures and candidates into the modern era will not only keep our democracy resilient in 2020, it also sets us up for greater democratic participation for years to come.

We wish you the best during this challenging time. Thank you for your support for keeping our democracy strong and accountable.

Best,
Dan

Daniel G. Newman
President & Co-Founder