OM DENNE EPISODE
With early voting already underway ahead of Florida's August 18th primary, Digital Democracy Project Executive Director Ramon Perez returns to Afternoon Coffee Break to talk about the first congressional campaign built entirely on direct democracy. Dan Williams, a technology professor running in the Democratic primary for Florida's 11th Congressional District — covering Sumter County (The Villages), and parts of Lake, Orange, and Polk counties, including Clermont, Leesburg, Groveland, Minneola, Mascotte, and Fruitland Park — is pledging to vote in Congress however his district decides, using DDP's mobile voting platform.
Ramon and I go deep on how the technology actually works, the security history behind the Voatz voting app, whether a small pool of verified voters can really speak for a whole district, and what happens to the idea of a representative's own judgment if this model spreads. If you live in FL-11 and want your voice counted directly on legislation — not just this race, but going forward — Ramon walks through exactly how to get verified on the app before you vote.
Early voting is open now. The primary is August 18, 2026.
Learn more / take action:
- Digital Democracy Project: digitaldemocracyproject.org
- Vote on legislation + app security info: digitaldemocracyproject.org/vote
- FL-11 2026 race, full candidate list: Ballotpedia
- Orange County early voting & sample ballots: voteorangefl.gov
- Lake County (Clermont, Leesburg, Groveland, Minneola) voter info: lakevotes.gov
- Sumter County (The Villages) voter info: elections.sumtercountyfl.gov
- Polk County voter info: polkelections.gov
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