It is hard to find an app that stands out from the rest, but Camilo Casas, in his campaign for Boulder city council, has offered his seat to the voters in the form of an app.

If elected, Casas says he will track opinions and vote with the majority of constituents using an application he built himself.

It is called parti.vote.

Upon signing up for the app, users are verified to prevent voter fraud by using a program similar to Apple’s new facial recognition software. Users can then cast a vote on any issue currently at play or up for a vote.

Regardless of personal beliefs, Casas promises to vote with the majority opinion of votes cast on the app.

In what its creators call liquid democracy, Casas hopes to put the power back into the hands of the people. It is only when the constituents are at a 50/50 tie, that he will interject his own beliefs when voting.

“I personally am convinced that when you have to lobby a constituency rather than an elected office, you will on average get more democratic and consensual outcomes,” Casas said in an interview with Motherboard.

Casas isn’t necessarily expecting to win a seat on the city council. He says that if he can at least get the idea out to other politicians, then reform of the political system can begin.

Parti.vote is open sourced and free for any official to adopt in their campaign.

While noted that this system is not entirely perfect, there are many arguments for using this evolved method. Voters can be in touch on the individual and particular issues, and do not have to choose a candidate based merely on their overall stance.

The low entry barrier would allow for greater implementation among voters. Busy individuals could cast their vote from wherever it is most convenient.  Minorities could also expect better direct representation by not having any additional laws, requiring representatives to come from a minimum number of a certain ethnicity or race.

Voting via the parti.vote app could also remove the hand of big business from elections. In this system, politicians could become the middleman (or woman) they were always meant to be.

Like the current system, there is a possibility of hacking. Foreign interferers could hijack the system to favor a particular political party or candidate. The less tech-savvy voters could also experience difficulties in either not being able to navigate the interface as effectively or by not owning a smartphone at all.

Similar systems are already in place in Iceland in the form of the Icelandic Pirate Party whose platform is based on direct democracy and in South America with the Partido de la Red, or Internet Party.

Whether Casas wins or loses the campaign, he has started a conversation about the future of voting and liquid democracy’s place in society.

http://https://vimeo.com/235931955