I talk with Ramon Perez, Executive Director of the Digital Democracy Project this week. DDP is a nonpartisan nonprofit using secure mobile voting Technology to give citizens a real-time voice in legislation. Ramon explains how the platform lets verified, registered voters weigh in on bills being debated in Congress and their state house—and then scores legislators on how closely their votes match what their districts wanted. We dig into how AI, including a RAG-powered chatbot called VoteBot, helps everyday citizens parse thousands of pages of complex legislative text. We also discuss digital Security, participatory budgeting, and Ramon’s ambitious goal of expanding the platform to all 50 state legislatures by 2027.

Keywords: digital democracy, mobile voting, civic tech, legislative transparency, AI in government, Ramon Perez, Digital Democracy Project, VoteBot, participatory budgeting, voter engagement, legislator accountability, PolicyViz podcast, civic engagement, govtech

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Follow Ramon Perez and the Digital Democracy Project at digitaldemocracyproject.org and download the Votes (VOATZ) app to participate.

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Jon Schwabish Founder and CEO

My name is Jon Schwabish, and I am an economist, writer, teacher, and data communications expert. I am widely recognized for advancing clarity and accessibility in how analysts, researchers, and scholars communicate their findings. I am the author of four books—Better Presentations, Elevate the Debate, Better Data Visualizations, and Data Visualization in Excel—which provide practical guidance for people looking to improve how they create, present, and communicate data-rich content. I am also the host of the PolicyViz Podcast, the longest running podcast dedicated to helping listeners better understand data and data visualizations.