Vouchsafe

Today we’re extremely pleased to unveil Vouchsafe, a new and better way to prove your identity. It opens up identity verification to everyone, including the 1 in 5 people who don’t have access to basic forms of ID like a passport or driving licence. Vouchsafe is built on the principle that your identity can be confirmed by someone you trust. You don’t need to rely on old fashioned, expensive paper documents. It’s cheaper, faster and it reduces the risk of fraud.  When you plug Vouchsafe into your service, you open it up to millions more potential customers and users in the UK alone. It makes your services more accessible and more profitable. See it in action: https://lnkd.in/ezSRT7Bg Huge thanks to CivTech Scotland, The Scottish Government and Bethnal Green Ventures for their backing. And to the whole Vouchsafe team for all their hard work these recent months, and especially Lisa G. and Nandita Rath. We’re just getting started. 👊

According to UK research by Stonewall and the LGBT Foundation, 19% of non-binary respondents and nearly a quarter of trans respondents lack ID that would allow them to vote. It is a fact that the requirement for voter ID disproportionately excludes non-binary and trans folks from the democratic process. Again: this is a problem we can and must solve. We want to work with organisations involved in elections and democratic process here and around the world to do that. 👋 See PinkNews’ reporting, along with their guide to voter ID: https://lnkd.in/ecbSHwVm #voterID #generalelection #democraticinclusion

In the US, you have to prove your citizenship to register to vote. But 21 million Americans don’t have ready access to proof of their citizenship. That figure constitutes 8% of white Americans but 11% of people from non-white groups. As Brennan Center for Justice says, when it comes to participation in elections, convenience matters. 👏 

🗣️ “We see elections as a moment or tactic in the wider field of social change. The process and outcome of an election shapes the terrain on which movements operate.” 🗣️ “They can either operate on highly unfavourable terrain, where their effort needs to go into firefighting and even sheer survival, or they can operate on more favourable terrain, where some needs are met and other questions can be addressed.” 🗣️ “Elections to some extent terraform this terrain.” Love these words from Common Knowledge, on elections as opportunities for societal change, beyond just potentially changing who sits where in government. Elections should be an opportunity for discussion, collaboration and cooperation toward change people can see and feel in their lives. We‘re stronger when we work together. 💪

We learned so much at Identiverse, but our stop off at Shaver Lake, California (population 650) en route was a huge lesson in the power of trusted, personal relationships. Our latest newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gcS35FSi Note: Don’t miss the summer party invite at the end!

Great work. Datnexa has mapped passport ownership in London to correlate with future election turnout. This can only be valuable, if not surprising. We look forward to seeing the results.

Digital transformation should be the sixth pillar of a Labour administration, says a ComputerWeekly.com op-ed published yesterday. Agree? We have some thoughts: ➡️ Digital transformation is not an end goal, and no guarantee of success. Design and build societal change. ➡️ It’s not about mindsets. It’s about removing obstacles, or working around them. Money. Skills. Organisational dysfunction. But people in government—they get it. ➡️ Don’t just map the landscape. Build stuff. ➡️ “Reinvigorate democratic engagement.” Yep. We like that bit. What do you think?

Our friends at CitizenCard are offering free UK voter ID via their website for the next few days. They're doing great things to make voter ID accessible to as many people as possible. If you know someone without the ID they need to vote, do share. Use the code FREEVOTERID. BTW: There's still time to hassle your friends and loved ones to register to vote today. You can help them register, so long as you have their consent. #voterid #inclusion #election2024

I’m sure it hasn’t escaped anyone’s notice, but there’s a general election coming up. One of my favourite parts of an election is the sheer unhinged behaviour of politicians on a campaign trail, and continuing in that spirit, I’d like to write a post referring to Ed Davey - the leader of the Lib Dems. I’m not sure if this man had his holiday usurped by the election announcement, but he certainly seems to be making the most of it. There’s a few things he’s been doing to draw attention to himself: 🚲 he hired a bike, in Powys, Wales, and rode, legs akimbo, down a big hill 🏄 he hired a paddle board on Lake Windermere, and fell in the water 🎢 he spent the day at Thorpe park, riding a rollercoaster in a full suit and tie But do you know what common theme I’ve found between all these? Can ya guess? He would’ve needed photo ID to do each and every one of these. Every provider I found said on their website that you needed photo ID in order to book or collect. Something that 20% of the UK don’t have. As we head, rapidly, into our first general election requiring photo ID to vote, I can’t help but see just how using a vouch to verify identity would reopen the very foundation of democracy to everyone who wishes to exercise their vote. Vouchsafe isn't *quite* there yet. But we will be soon. For this election, check out our friends over at CitizenCard, and make sure you’re registered to vote (https://lnkd.in/eshNRmr6) before the 18th of June! #voterid #registertovote

Every election, thousands of voters are turned away from polling stations because they don’t have ID. Elections aren’t democratic when so many voices go unheard. We’re working to solve this problem, and we want to talk to political representatives, policy people and government technologists about vouching, and how it can radically improve democratic inclusion.