On December 9, over 300 people attended, in person or via livestream, the National Democratic Institute’s (NDI) unveiling of DemTools 2.0, a new online, open-source toolbox that will help citizens report problems in their communities, help civic groups manage data, and better prepare governments to better understand and respond to citizens' concerns.

Technology has the power to transform politics around the world, just as it has in the United States. People everywhere are demanding more from elected officials, and they need affordable, easy-to-use tools to make their voices heard. NDI’s Demtools 2.0 will empower millions of people to build better democracies, while helping governments respond at the speed of the internet.

The DemTools toolkit is designed to apply technology solutions to common problems.

• involving citizens in government decision-making;
• helping civil society groups organize in a digital world;
• better connecting elected officials with constituents;
• managing election data; and
• fostering civic dialogue through social media.

This new open-source initiative frees organizations and institutions from the time-consuming and costly effort of creating and developing their own technology solutions or using expensive commercial products. The scale and impact of the DemTools project is virtually limitless.

Vermont Governor and NDI Board Member Howard Dean, whose pioneering 2004 presidential campaign paved the way for the tech-driven precision of current U.S. politics, and Congresswomen Anna Eshoo, co-chair of the Congressional Internet Caucus and a key leader in Congress on technology and Silicon Valley, gave keynote remarks at the downtown Washington event, congratulating NDI and DemTools 2.0.

“Through the power of DemTools, the intellectual and creative capital of the tech sector is being harnessed to transform global politics and better engage citizens,” said Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, whose district includes Silicon Valley. “To be successful in deploying new technologies, particularly in developing nations, connectivity and affordability must be a central focus. I commend NDI for making DemTools 2.0 both free and open-source, thereby eliminating a critical barrier to adoption.”

Speaking about how democratic change almost always comes from the bottom up, Governor Howard Dean added, “All we have to do to make democracy succeed in this world is ensure that everyone has tools of empowerment unlike anything that has been seen before on the face of the earth.”

A panel of leaders from the tech sector discussed the application of new technologies. Moderated by NDI’s Senior ICT Officer and Product Manager Christine Schoellhorn, the panel included Tim Receveur (Director, PeaceTech Exchanges), Andrew Hoppin (President, NuCivic), Kat Duffy (Director, Sunlight Labs), Lena Trudeau (Senior Manager of Global Expansion, Amazon Web Services), Seth Andrew (Senior Advisor to the United State’s Chief Technology Officer), and Colin Delany (Editor of Epolitics.com).

Seth Andrews said that the office of the White House CTO wants to see state, local, and international governments take DemTool Petitions, based on his office’s We The People, and make it better. “We hope that you will continue to take this DemTool as a way to get feedback in real time.”

Lena Trudeau, who travels around the world on behalf of Amazon Web Services, remarked that the “growing ubiquity of access of these tools is a really powerful force for good in the world.” She praised NDI’s DemTools 2.0 as a “real game changer” for putting capabilities directly “into hands of students and researchers, entrepreneurs  and change agents.”

The first generation of DemTools has been deployed by 82 organizations around the world in the last year. For example, political parties have used NDI’s Civi DemTool to manage contacts and improve their outreach to party members. DemTools are delivered with comprehensive training and support materials; and a recently published NDI guide, “Technology: A Planning Guide for Political Parties,” supplements DemTools 2.0 by providing practical advice on common pitfalls that political parties experience and potential pathways for success when implementing technology projects.

The tools have been tested in a broad range of country contexts. In Bosnia-Herzegovina and Colombia, NDI’s Issues DemTool brings together the voices of politicians and citizens to discuss pressing social and political issues online. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Macedonia, and Ukraine, the CiviParty DemTool is used to assist the organizing effort of political parties.

Review the video of the entire event here. Join the conversation, which was trending on twitter during the launch, with #DemTools.

NDI is committed to making a real-world impact with DemTools. The platform has the capability to scale to support thousands of organizations, which can improve the lives of millions of citizens - but only if it is shared. Whether you think DemTools could be useful for your organization or for those you collaborate with, we’d love to work with you. Sign up to learn more.

Published on December 11, 2015