Grantees In Action

Digital platform to promote citizen engagement and government accountability

In an effort to promote citizen engagement and government accountability, Espacios Abiertos  released in early 2020 the digital platform Quién me representa where residents using their zip codes could view factual non-partisan information about, and/or establish contact with, their current elected representatives. In the months before the 2020 elections, the platform was programmed to provide information about the 3,000+ candidates running for over 1,000 seats at the municipal, state, and federal level. Identifying the current and aspiring representatives and their contacts was not enough. In the 2016 elections over 125,000 state ballots were dismissed as voted incorrectly, so the platform also allowed users to get familiarized and practice their votes before voting. 

During the creation process, Espacios Abiertos successfully sued the State Election Commission twice to obtain official photographs of elected officials and candidates running in the 2020 electoral race, establishing a precedent on transparency and access to public information.

The platform was launched in March 2020 and by the end of the year the analytics were impressive: 141,940 unique users, 212,374 sessions, and 739,332 page views. During that time, elected officials and candidates in the 2020 election race contacted Espacios Abiertos to update their profiles and include their public policy positions. Local news media and nonprofits also joined efforts to complement and disseminate the Espacios Abiertos platform, particularly in the months before the elections. This included 188 airings of a 30-second spot about Quién Me Representa on local TV station Telemundo Puerto Rico (show below), offered as a public service announcement valued at over $150,000 and with a reach of hundreds of thousands of households. Paid and non-paid billboards (sponsored and in-kind donations) also helped to have a recurring brand presence for the project around the island. Quién me representa will be an ongoing project, periodically updated and expanded by Espacios Abiertos.

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