Voter disenfranchisement is at an all-time high. From national offices all the way down to local school and water boards, people are frustrated with their elected officials. BallotPath is leveling the playing field so that the average citizen can understand who currently represents them and how they can run for office. People enter their address on BallotPath’s website where they can see all of their elected representatives, from dogcatcher to President, and how they can replace these officials. The BallotPath team intends to leverage its working prototype for California into a network of universities across the country that will collaborate to curate the data. By first building the prototype to function for Contra Costa County, then covering all of California, BallotPath plans to raise additional capital to go national and then open the API to paying customers. (Note: This project originally won in the Big Ideas “Conflict & Development” Category)
This project seeks to create a set of electronic training modules that can be taken by individuals who work with LGBT refugees and asylum-seekers anywhere in the world. These trainings would help eliminate inherent bias, misinterpretation, and discrimination present in these systems toward LGBT individuals. The modules would be made available in a variety of formats to ensure that compatibility issues do not hinder these efforts. The project would focus on NGO’s and government agencies in Texas and in Nairobi, Kenya because of the overwhelming need that has developed due to the political climate in that region. By establishing a non-profit in the U.S. with the sole purpose of developing this training program and getting it into the right hands, this project ensures that anyone working with refugees has the proper level of education to complete their jobs effectively. The program would serve the additional purpose of identifying those who are overtly discriminatory toward this population, and allow officials to steer LGBT refugees toward safer and more accepting environments. (Note: This project originally won in the Big Ideas “Conflict & Development” Category)
