I was inspired to put together a list of political apps after I came across another blog post that listed some useful, unbiased political info. It was so refreshing to see an article that wasn’t bashing anyone, plus gave me some good ideas for how I could stay more informed about government issues. Because… Manbroman. It has been one helluva year. And we’ve only just gotten through January!
I can’t be the only one who’s tired of being bashed to death by exaggerated, fear-inducing, hysteria-creating, fact-lacking headlines. From both sides.
#NOTMYPRESIDENT
#SNOWFLAKES
#FAKENEWS
#ALTERNATIVEFACTS
#TRUMPKINS
#OMGSTAHP
*Deep breath*
And I know I’m not the only one who cares a ton about America, her people, and what this country stands for. Hence the list of political apps.
I feel like I should also note here that the title uses #RESIST. A hashtag that is currently associated with the liberal or anti-Trump movement. However, when reading this post I hope you’ll be able to view it as:
#Resist shutting down
#Resist being uninformed
#Resist perpetuating hate in any way
#Resist seeing it as “us vs. them”
#Resist being close-minded towards each other’s views
To get involved or not to get involved…
The last few elections I’ve found myself getting steadily more involved in politics. What once seemed like a subject so far beyond my grasp I couldn’t even begin to understand it, is now a subject I regularly immerse myself in, because man, in spite of how exhausting and exasperating it can be, I care.
I care a lot. And over the past few years my understanding of politics and all it’s complications has gone from impossible-to-understand, to something I feel some sense of control over. Not like, a YUGE sense of control. But some. I feel like it’s more possible than ever to make our voices heard, and to hold politicians accountable for their words and actions.
Wait, Mr. Politician, you didn’t say that?… Hmm… that’s odd ‘cus I just Googled a video of you saying exactly that.
The. Power.
Before we get to the political apps, can we take a second to appreciate how involved we can get with our government?
We can organize protests through Facebook groups, we can tweet our senators, and yes, we can find the videos of them saying exactly what they said, whether they like it or not.
The flip side of this social media, insta-news version of politics is that it can feel overwhelming. The past week (ish) since we got our new president being a pretty damn good example. Burnout is real, and both sides are feelin’ the heat.
I’m not here to tell you who is right or wrong, or to debate my feelings about Trump or any other politician with you. I’m writing this post – which, let’s face it, is a little bit of a departure from the norm here at CuriousWriter – because dammit, I care.
I tried not to, but there it is!
As much as I might want to shut down all my social feeds and go on a month-long Netflix/Hulu/Amazon binge with my dog, I can’t. Because I have this stupid thing called hope that won’t leave me alone, and I don’t ever want it to.
The future of America is important. The future of her people is important. The future of the world is important.
It’s not something we should be ignoring or hiding from. As Americans I feel we are both blessed and burdened with the privilege and responsibility to do what we can to move our country forward.
We should debate.
We should march.
We should research.
We should comment.
We should call.
We should care.
Because it’s important.
Rather than constantly trying to sift through the giant powder keg that is social media right now, you might find it more productive to try out these political apps. They let you inform yourself about real issues from a non “THE WORLD IS ENDING IN 2 MONTHS!” stance. They let you see who your representatives are and how they’re each voting (it would be so useful to actually know their names during election season right?!) and let you get in touch with them to actually make your voice heard.
Can it make a difference? Yes.
Our politicians are elected > they’re jobs are cushy af > they want to keep them > they want to keep you happy > they will only do that if 1) they know what you want & 2) they know you’re going to vote.
Political Apps
Check out the apps below & share so others can check ’em out too!
1. Countable
Excerpt from the app…
KNOW THE ISSUES
· Short summaries of House and Senate Bills
· Pro/Con arguments
· How it impacts you
· How much the legislation costs…”
This app lets you see what issues your representatives are voting on, and how they’ve voted in the past. It also allows you to get involved with politics by sending video messages to your reps and voting on the issues. Countable then sends your votes to the government offices so they can see how their voters feel about important issues.
You can get daily notifications of upcoming votes, as well as unbiased summaries of the issues.
This app lets you stay informed, and be heard.
2. ActiVote
Excerpt from the app…
ActiVote removes the obstacles that stop people from participating in our democracy by using data, not partisanship, to empower people to vote in their local, state, and federal elections—and encourage others to do the same.
ActiVote provides just the facts on candidates and elections, allowing people on their own time to easily access relevant and unbiased information about upcoming elections and candidates.
ActiVote works to show you where you and other voters (and politicians) fall on issues and the political spectrum as a whole. You can answer questions and see how others answered, see what elections are headed your way and check out the candidates, learn about the issues, and do it all in a space that’s made to be unbiased and depolarizing.
We could all use that right now, amiright?
3. PolitiTruth
Excerpt from the app…
Swipe left to guess a news story is false and swipe right to guess it is true. The game is made in partnership with the Pulitzer Prize winning organization PolitiFact in the hopes of encouraging players to better discern sources of information while gathering beneficial statistics on public misconceptions.
This is actually a game of sorts. You get a “fact” and you have to guess if it’s actually true or not, then you get a meter to show you how true or false it actually is. You can see how your awareness of FAKE NEWS!!! compares to others.
It’s an interesting way to become more self-aware and guard yourself against bias, which is great.
You can also follow their Twitter feed for more fact-checks!
4. The Congressional Record
Excerpt from the app…
With this app you can:
– Browse editions of the Congressional Record by date: January 4, 1995 (the 104th Congress, 1st Session) to the present
– Perform keyword searches within individual documents or sections within documents
– Copy text within documents
– Share documents via email
If you’re one of those people that wants to deep-dive an issue, this is the app for it. Look through daily details of Congress, debates, bills, nominations and more. If you want pure facts on what was said in what context, this is the app for it.
Only on Apple, unfortunately…
5. Brigade
Excerpt from the app…
Key features:
- Create or join debates to make your voice heard on important issues
- See how your beliefs compare to fellow voters and politicians who represent you
- Influence public opinion in your political districts and learn what others think
- Complete your civic profile, a place to showcase what matters to you
Create meaningful debates and discussions, become informed and figure out where you really stand on important issues. A social network, specifically made for people who care about their country, county and government by the people for the people.
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