
Show HN: Register to vote via SMS chatbot hello.vote - jlev
https://hello.vote
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jlev
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.

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JoeAltmaier
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
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
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.

