Empowered Essentials

Adult literacy

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit) City of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a citywide benefit)

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

Modern technology should be empowering our democracy.
And right now, it isn't.

There are three foundational problems that guide Empowered Vote:

Information Pollution - We are not seeing the same facts. When our society doesn't agree on what our problems are, then we'll never agree on what our solutions should look like.
Political Polarization - For-profit social media platforms approach their communities as a commodity, increasing their revenue as they amplify our polarization. Their ads are micro-targeted based on a deep profile of identified vulnerabilities, selling influence to the highest bidder.
Civic Impotence - When citizens are unable to make an impact on the democratic process, they begin to believe that their vote doesn't matter. Their civic frustrations then calcify into an exhausted apathy, 'Why bother paying attention, nothing we do matters, anyways." When our government stops being guided by the will of the people, then it will no longer need to serve the people.

Empowered Essentials is our first feature, designed to combat information pollution and promote civic literacy. Whatever your policy solutions, the Essentials make it easier to be an informed citizen and see your elected officials by their actions.
After entering your zip code, we create a civic hub, with a complete list of elected leaders at the local, state, and federal levels. Citizens can explore the profiles of different representatives, showing a candidate's policy positions, legislative contributions, voting records, contact information, and a list of their top donors.
If our democracy is to be guided by the people, then we must have an informed electorate. We achieve this by:
Addressing information pollution through clear, vetted data
Reducing political polarization by avoiding partisan framing
Combating civic impotence by making the voting process easier and more transparent
The LA2050 grant will allow us to pilot and expand Empowered Essentials in Los Angeles, ensuring communities across the region - especially those historically underserved - have free access to trustworthy election tools.
We aim to empower those looking for shared solutions by creating a civic interface that foundationally serves the people, not profits.

We’ve found deep alignment between LA2050’s goals and the ethos of Empowered Vote.
As the Empowered Essentials launch, Los Angeles becomes one of the best places in the world to learn about civic life - where every voter can access clear, trusted, nonpartisan information. With verified tools that foster accountability, LA becomes a healthier place to connect with others. We build gamified experiences that make civics compelling, reduce friction, and build trust, making us the best place to engage. We create with interactive tools and storytelling that make our democracy feel alive. We live in a city where residents understand policy, track public dollars, and hold leaders accountable. And we play - because participation can be social, empowering, even fun.
The Empowered Essentials makes this future real by transforming civic literacy from a barrier into a bridge - helping Angelinos feel informed, connected, and powerful at the ballot box and beyond.