Perez launches app to track legislative votes and constituent feedback
The Digital Democracy Project allows voters to rate how their representatives vote on bills before they reach a final floor vote.
By Austin Reed ·
Voters often lack clear information about the specific actions of their elected officials between election cycles. While candidates make promises on the campaign trail, tracking their subsequent legislative sponsorships and voting records remains a difficult process for many citizens. Ramon Perez, executive director of the Digital Democracy Project, argues that this information gap has caused a loss of faith in the political system.
Perez, a veteran and former tech consultant, developed a mobile application to bridge this gap. The tool connects voters directly with their representatives by allowing users to cast their own votes on legislation before it is formally considered by their elected officials. The app then records how those legislators actually vote on the bills. This data enables constituents to provide direct feedback on their representatives' performance. Perez described the feedback mechanism as similar to an Open Table review for politicians. The system ultimately aims to influence voter behavior in future elections.
The project addresses what Perez calls a feeling of being ignored by the current political infrastructure. He stated that voters have lost faith in a system where they no longer feel heard. The application serves as a direct line of communication that tracks legislative activity in real time. It provides a structured way for citizens to evaluate whether their representatives are acting in accordance with constituent preferences.
Perez will present the project at the ninth annual Ideas We Should Steal Festival, presented by Comcast. The event is scheduled for December 8. The festival features a diverse lineup of speakers who are introducing new initiatives in various fields. These include a compassion index for Philadelphia from Lonnie Ali and Simon Cohen of the Muhammad Ali Center. The program also includes Afroman, a First Amendment advocate, and Rachel Canter, who helped architect Mississippi's literacy turnaround.
Other speakers at the December 8 event include author Anand Giridharadas, whose new book addresses homelessness solutions. Trump whistleblower Alexander Vindman and author Jacob Weisberg, who wrote Profiles in Cowardice, are also on the roster. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician known for exposing the Flint, Michigan, water crisis, will discuss her new program. She has launched the nation's first community-wide prenatal and infant cash prescription program.
The festival serves as a platform for showcasing these distinct approaches to civic and social challenges. Each speaker brings a specific project or idea to the stage. Perez's digital tool represents a technological solution to the transparency problem in local and national governance. The app aims to make legislative accountability more accessible to the general public. It seeks to replace vague newsletters with specific data on voting behavior.
