Rosa Shores founded Clearvoter, a platform for civic engagement connecting voters with activism groups and each other. MiningPool met with her to discuss the upcoming beta launch and the role blockch
Rosa Shores founded Clearvoter, a platform for civic engagement connecting voters with activism groups and each other. MiningPool met with her to discuss the upcoming beta launch and the role blockchain might play in future political participation.
**How it started**
The idea took shape at a 2014 bitcoin meetup in St. Petersburg, Florida. Shores and Gabe Higgins, who would become co-founder, approached Lucas Overby, a local congressional candidate, about accepting campaign donations in bitcoin. The connection deepened when Overby, who had a technical bent, proposed building a blockchain application to track congressional transparency. That concept pushed Shores in a new direction.
As she dug deeper into how activists and organizers functioned, she concluded the original idea was flawed. Voters didn't need another blockchain tool. They needed something simple to find issues they cared about and connect with like-minded people. The team repositioned itself around that gap.
The founders have deep experience in political campaigns and policy advocacy. Several co-founders drafted legislation for measures brought before the Florida Supreme Court.
**Blockchain later, function first**
The team consists mainly of blockchain and bitcoin enthusiasts, but they ran into a wall testing an early version built on blockchain. Only people already comfortable with crypto understood it. That failure taught them a hard lesson.
"It was very important that we create a platform that anyone can use," Shores said. The current design keeps blockchain out of sight. It functions as a straightforward civic tool. Blockchain features, including a digital identity system and voting mechanism, might be added if the technology matures and circumstances demand it. Shores has already been in touch with teams developing those kinds of applications.
**Why blockchain might matter for politics**
Blockchain applications for governance have caught the interest of activists and government officials. Australia's Flux Party proposed running online votes using cryptocurrency tokens on a blockchain, intending to decentralize power and prevent electoral fraud. Campaign spending offers another angle: blockchain could store a permanent, transparent record of every political donation and expenditure.
Regulation stands as the main obstacle. "This community is built by technologists who for the most part want to circumvent government controls," Shores said. "But government and politics will not go away."
Cryptocurrency advocates defeated California's AB-1326, which drew ideas from New York's BitLicense. After facing pushback, sponsors withdrew the bill, though it could resurface. "Clearvoter gives people a way to organize against bills like AB-1326," she said.
Connie Gallippi runs Bitgive, which uses blockchain to document charitable donations and ensure accountability. Shores sees the same tool working for advocacy organizations, making it clear to donors how money gets spent.
The Flint water crisis illustrated the stakes. Coliform bacteria kept showing up in water tests month after month, yet the information stayed hidden from residents. Money came in to help, but it moved through murky channels. Tiffany Hayden, running for Congress as the Libertarian candidate in Michigan's 13th district and a blockchain advocate, has called attention to both problems. Blockchain-based systems could create the openness needed to prevent misuse of public funds and information suppression, Shores argued.
**Targeting America, launching now**
Clearvoter focuses on U.S. voters and American politics. Shores sees an opportunity. Voter turnout is down. The country has become more divided. Confidence in mainstream journalism has eroded.
The presidential election creates a window. Shores' team is timing their launch for the current campaign cycle, when people pay the most attention to politics. But meaningful change happens at city halls, county boards, and state capitals. Those offices control the laws that touch people's daily lives. Young voters especially need straightforward ways to understand which laws affect them.
This election feels more contentious than most. Voters are questioning their representatives and the system with unusual intensity. People distrust mainstream news coverage. They're hunting for information sources they can believe.
**Get on the list**
Readers can visit www.clearvoter.com to sign up for the beta, follow @WeareClearvoter on Twitter, or find the team on Facebook.
