OpenMaine Monthly Virtual Meetup

Once a month we gather to discuss and build civic technology. Most of the actual work happens asychronously/offline.

About Our Group
Everyone is welcome from all backgrounds and skill levels. We share what we are working on at the beginning of each Meetup and introduce all attendees to our Code of Conduct and meeting style. We then may have a short featured speaker and a discussion. Project teams are invited to work after the featured speaker, if they like.

What is civic technology?
Civic technology is the practice of applying rapid prototyping and user centered design to solve civic problems such as voting, budgeting, parking, transit, community engagement, etc., (to name just a few). Civic technologists believe that government services can be efficient, equitable, and open.

Current projects

• At the January meeting, we plan to talk about https://www.maineballot.org/ and prepare for the March 5, 2024 election.
• Have a project idea? Let us know! (At the meeting, or on Slack are good options)

Ready to dive in?

• Join the conversation in Slack:
  https://join.slack.com/t/openmaine/shared_invite/zt-57d28mv4-j~WPnaNxVq43GDX~3Te4Hg
• Find an issue to work on here: https://github.com/orgs/OpenMaine/projects/7

Some history
We are a former Code for America brigade, now with fiscal sponsorship by the Open Collective Foundation: https://opencollective.com/openmaine (fiscal sponsorship means that they handle our money as a 501(c)(3) organization). Code for America abandoned its brigade system in 2023. There is a new national civic technology group springing up from the ashes that we are likely to align with: https://www.civictechnologists.org/