Chrome extension sends your political gripes to Congress
Turn your tweets into actual democratic participation.
The next time you take to social media to lodge a complaint about the current state of politics, why not send the message off to someone who can actually do something about it? ePluribus, a Chrome extension, automatically turns your posts on Twitter, Facebook and even in the comments section of a news article into an official message to Congress with a couple simple clicks.
The goal of ePluribus is to make contacting your representatives as easy as posting on social media. It adds a simple widget to your posts that provides a drop-down list of everyone from Senators to Congressmen to the President. Once you've finished the message you want to post, ePluribus converts it into a comment that can be sent directly to politicians. If you're commenting on an article, a link to that story will be included for context.
ePluribus has a little more complicated set up than your standard browser extension. After you download and install it, you'll be sent a physical card in the mail with a verification code. That is required to make sure you are a constituent of the members of Congress that you are trying to reach. Most members of Congress require this on their website to make sure they are prioritizing the voice of the people they represent. Once you've been verified, ePluribus can send your messages unencumbered.
The verification helps assure staffers that the comments they are sifting through are legitimate and can help prevent issues like the one the Federal Communications Commission ran into when it was inundated with fake comments about net neutrality.
In addition to the Chrome extension, the team behind ePluribus is working on add-ons for other browsers and an app for iOS and Android. The team behind the project has an Indiegogo page set up to support their efforts.
