Have you been swept up in the political hype yet? Election season has only just begun, so if you’re not already, it’s time to get pumped for all politics all the time. But let’s still leave some room for innovation during this period of heightened political awareness. And Harvard, as it turns out, is a hotbed for figuring out how to use technology in politics and government. So, in honor of the current civic spirit, here are four Harvard startups that are helping reshape how we interact with government (and vice versa).
A decent chunk of deciding how to vote is (or should be) staying informed. Don’t have enough time to plunk yourself in front of the TV and watch the nightly news? No need. The app BriefMe gives you only the top 10 political news articles based on how much they’re shared. It also gives you other categories of current events in case you want to know what’s happening beyond the political sphere.
Right now, much of our political attention is directed toward the executive branch for obvious reasons. But we need to give the other parts of our government a little love, too. Quorum allows us to get more involved in the legislative branch (that’s Congress, for folks who missed that day of Civics). You can see what’s going on in Congress, find your favorite members based on their stances on issues and even use it to easily send messages to lawmakers and more.
This venture is still currently working on the DL, but it looks like the company has big plans. According to the Harvard iLab’s site, PolityPro is hoping to help candidates in local elections in terms of their campaign efforts online. For instance, the startup intends to give potential and local politicians the tools to take on initiatives with social media and fundraising - among many other aspects of their campaigns.
This isn’t the first time you’ve seen me mention Agora, nor will it be the last. The startup, whose founder was recently invited to speak at the White House, has created an online platform that enables people to have a voice in politics when they otherwise would not. Agora lets citizens and politicians alike set up virtual town halls to hash out hot button issues, in addition to streaming live debates and other political events so everyone can be in the know about politics.
