Civic Data Tech today announced a national initiative to create a verifiable, open civic dataset for jurisdictions across the United States, fostering a more accessible, resilient, and participatory democracy through open data and collaboration. The project enhances access to civic information by uniting organizations and citizens to build and maintain a trustworthy dataset for all cities and counties in the U.S.
This effort comes at a critical moment. After the shutdown of a major civic data API, there was no free, reliable replacement that served the full breadth of U.S. local jurisdictions. Available resources either disappeared, were paywalled, or stopped at the state or major-city level, leaving most smaller cities and counties effectively invisible in the civic data landscape. Civic Data Tech exists to fill that gap with a durable, openly available, deeply local dataset.
In its first phase, Civic Data Tech is focused on a “Foundational Dataset” that establishes a verifiable baseline for every city and county in the United States, including official local government websites, details on elected officials, contact information, and election cycles, with planned expansion into critical election information, candidate profiles, and detailed voting procedures.
Civic Data Tech’s mission is to support a more informed democracy by making civic information open, accurate, and easy to find. It employs a hybrid strategy that combines advanced AI-based technology, robust programming tools, and meticulous human-in-the-loop oversight, governed collaboratively by its partners to ensure transparency, community-driven development, and democratic oversight.
Supporting organizations include OpenStates (by Plural Policy), Plural Policy, Unified, CivicPatch, Populist, and VoteLight, alongside key contributors such as Creyton Loud, Matthew Copple, Virginia Dooley, YourFriendFido, Stump.vote, and Mappingsupport. Individuals and organizations can get involved by joining the Civic Data Group on Unified, contributing infrastructure, promoting the project, or offering development and data expertise, and may contact info@civicdata.tech to participate.