The Secretary of the Commonwealth is the government body which oversees the administration of every public election in the state of Massachusetts. The Secretary also serves as the chief information officer of state government. In this capacity, the office fields calls throughout the day from journalists, researchers, and constituents looking for specific election results. Our founder and CTO, Adam Friedman, invented a software platform to make reporting these results seamless and intuitive.
Previously, citizens who wanted authoritative election and ballot question results who weren’t already burdening the Secretary’s office with calls, had to trudge through scattered static web pages, large PDF files, or print editions of Public Document 43, the state’s bi-annual reporter of election statistics. Adam devised a technique of converting these formats into a comprehensive online research tool to provide scholars, journalists, and the general public 24/7 access to nearly 50 years of Massachusetts elections. The tool has become a win-win for the agency and for the public. Citizens are now able to retrieve the information they are looking for within seconds. Agency staff are relieved from fielding one-off research requests over the phone, so they can focus on more important projects — like managing the state’s next election.
