Show HN: Register to vote via SMS chatbot hello.vote

jlev · on Sept 22, 2016

A chatbot I built with FightfortheFuture.org that makes it really easy to register to vote. Takes only 10 text messages to gather information, and then we submit to the state or send you a PDF.

Directly submits to states in CA, MA, VA, IL, GA, CO, AZ. Working on further integrations in PA (where there's an API), and other states with online systems that don't have CAPTCHAs. We'd love to work with other voter registration innovators like Vote.org, VotePlz, NovemberApp, TurboVote and Rock the Vote to improve online voter registration for everyone.

Will be open source after the election. Code is Node.js, Python and Jekyll.

JoeAltmaier · on Sept 22, 2016

This is pretty radical. What happened to poll watchers? To showing up in person? To validating that somebody is actually there? So many ways to abuse this, I can hardly count.

{edit: Hey, disregard my ignorance. This is a low-friction registration app which is a good thing}

jlev · on Sept 22, 2016

Hey Joe, the registration process is actually totally distinct from voting, which is all done in-person. Poll watchers are still very necessary to ensure the integrity of everyone's ballot.

I've worked on voter registration tech for the last four years, in the US and in new democracies like Libya. I think SMS is the best way to reach people who don't necessarily have a home computer and printer or a smartphone.

JoeAltmaier · on Sept 22, 2016

Thanks! That's good to know. I didn't follow the process all the way through, so I didn't know where it would end. Figured it was some absentee-ballot thing.

I'm all for automating registration. In sensible countries (Canada) they don't register voters. If you're there and breathing, you vote. Anything to remove friction from the process is good.