Why do those with the most to gain from change, face the most hurdles in voting? Living in remote rural areas, a lack of transport, cell coverage and internet access disenfranchises many voters.
How can needy voters be informed of an offer to get free rides to the polls? How can a small group process requests and schedule rides efficiently from dozens of volunteer drivers? How can all this be done quickly on a shoe-string budget? Innovation.
Background
Andrea Miller founded the Center for Common Ground, a Virginia-based as a non-profit that helps the under-represented get to vote. Their 2019 campaign uses:
1. Radio advertising to tell potential voters how to get free rides to the polls
2. Voice chatbots to collect and automatically transcribe requests for rides
3. A free mobile app to schedule dispatch volunteer drivers to voter's homes
1. Outreach by radio
Andrea teamed with Gary Flowers who earlier worked with Reverend Jesse Jackson in Chicago. He is the CEO of the Black Leadership Forum in D.C. and active in social and political reform. Gary commands the airwaves as a fierce advocate, activist and analyst weekday mornings 9:00 to 11:00 am (ET) on 101.3 FM or RejoiceRichmond.com. This is the message that Gary currently broadcasts informing listeners how they can get a free ride to the polls.
"On Tuesday, November 5th the entire Virginia General Assembly is up for re-election. Polls are open from 6am to 7pm. If you need a free ride to the polls call 804-424-XXXX and give the voice system your information. Don’t vote alone; take 5 people with you."
2. Voice chatbot
People listening to the radio ad are directed to phone in and request a ride. The calls are fielded by a chatbot that collects details from the caller on when they would like the ride. The chatbot transcribes the call and sends the details as an email to a ride planner.
Chatbots are small automated programs that engage with people in a conversational manner. Andrea designed the chatbot with a little help from DemLabs. Chatbots work around the clock and are more efficient than having a person answer calls individually or transcribe messages from an answering machine. Twilio offers an affordable platform to quickly create voice and text bots.
3. Coordinating volunteer drivers
Andrea Miller and Melissa Leib developed a mobile app to coordinate volunteer drivers using the free Glide platform. The app is easy to use and share with volunteers.
Volunteers enter the area where they can offer rides. This information is stored in a Google Sheet along with voters' requests for rides. The ride planner assigns ride requests to drivers who get an alert on their phone with the passenger's details. Once a ride is complete, the driver updates their status to indicate that they are available to offer an other ride.
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Takeaway
"We haven't got the money, so we have to think", said Ernest Rutherford, a Nobel Laureate. The same goes for grassroots groups like Center For Common Ground, fighting to make sure every citizen gets to vote.
Tell DemLabs of other areas where frugal innovation is needed.
Deepak
Co-Founder, DemLabs
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