Regardless of your opinion of the outcome of the 2016 election (and of what happens in November), these past few years have been monumental in how we view the sanctity of our democracy and the role technology plays in it.

Concerns around election tampering drove investigations and served as a huge wakeup call to focus more on campaign team security. The stakes were/are high, and we’ve had to come to terms with things we never imagined would play a role in a Presidential election.

While campaign security is important, we’re still missing a huge piece of the puzzle: voter turnout. Both archaic technology that discourages voting/registration and states actively making it more difficult for people to register to vote directly threaten our democracy.

The roots of solving voter ID & registration issues lie at the same place: standardization. We need to build a secure and standard registration system where state election officials maintain power over running elections while benefiting from fed dollars and technical expertise.

A platform like this would have up-to-date security and usability practices, including the adoption of modern identity and authorization policies that rely on more than a password to gain access to information (think: MFA).

Basing this system on already existing govt databases (DMV, Social Security Administration, Department of Defense) would alleviate oppressive voter ID issues.

Takeaway: getting Americans to participate in the election is taking a big toll on our democracy. Addressing the systemic flaws of our registration systems and laws, and making the most of identity technology, will lower barriers to participation and limit voter suppression.

If there’s one thing you take away from this thread: VOTE!
Check your current registration status here: https://www.nass.org/can-I-vote 
OR
Register here: https://vote.gov/ 
I just confirmed my registration and it took me under 2 minutes!!