Episode 328: Digitizing a More Representative Democracy with Ramon Perez

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This past spring, a volunteer from the Digital Democracy Project reached out to me about its founder and this week’s guest, Ramon Perez. I’d never heard of the project and as a podcast about the many dimensions of citizenship, this was a very necessary conversation exploring innovative ways to enhance citizen participation and reform democracy using technology like AI, blockchain, and mobile voting. As an AI technology executive and US military veteran, Ramon founded the Digital Democracy Project as an accountability system and mobile voting platform that connects voters directly with their legislative representatives to address systemic problems in the electoral system that result in hyper-partisanship and widespread voter alienation. To achieve better outcomes, he believes technology can be used as a catalyst for building a more modern, representative system of government giving greater control directly to voters. #Listenandlearn more as we discuss systemic challenges in US politics and how technology can create a more transparent, accountable, and inclusive democratic process. Where to find Ramon and the Digital Democracy Project? On LinkedIn On Instagram On Facebook On Bluesky On YouTube What’s Ramon Listening to? The Lord of the Rings Series Audiobooks Empire Podcast Other topics of interest: On the Enduring Legacy of 9/11 About OneVirginia21 What is Gerrymandering? About ranked-choice voting What is Hyperledger Fabric? Homomorphic encryption explained Chapters 00:06 Intro and Guest Bio 01:54 Ramon Perez's Background and Motivation 03:14 Defining Democracy in the 21st Century 03:22 Limitations of Current Electoral Systems 05:30 Civic Responsibility and Voter Engagement 07:16 Educating Voters with Technology 09:50 AI's Role in Legislative Summaries 13:57 Systemic Problems in US Elections 16:16 Verifiability, Accountability, and Transparency 17:54 Ramon Perez's Career Path and Transition to AI 20:06 Public Perception of AI and Ethical Use 21:14 Tools and Innovations in Digital Voting 26:07 Global Examples of Democratic Success 35:34 Glocal Speak: Transparency as a Key Value 37:19 Organizing and Operating a Nonprofit Project 42:51 Historical Progress of Voting Rights 44:34 Future Goals and Expansion of the Project 46:44 Ramon Perez's Leisure and Personal Interests 47:42 Reflections on the Evolution of AI and Democracy Special Guest: Ramon Perez.