Learn how you can become a part of the push to digitize our nations voting platform and bring about the Digital Democracy through education and advocacy!

The Open Source Initiative (OSI) serves as an international nexus of trust, protecting and promoting open source software as well as the communities that develop and depend on it. Primarily known for our work in certifying open source software licenses, the OSI’s work today has grown—just as open source has—to include a variety of member-driven working groups and incubator projects that help practitioners and communities create and share resources, furthering the open source movement. For 17 years, the OSI has brought together open source developers, organizers, contributors, advocates, and businesses toward the common goal of creation through collaboration. Our membership campaign is dedicated to furthering this vision.

Our goal is to sign up 2,398 new individual members in celebration of the organization’s founding on 2/3/98. The “2,398 for 2/3/98” membership drive will also run in parallel with the OSI’s annual board elections, which started with nominations opening February 2 and runs through April 1, when the new board directors take their seats. The membership campaign will become an annual event.

Why join?

Membership provides several benefits to individuals, the OSI, and the open source software community. In addition to standard member benefits such as free and discounted books, magazines, conference registrations, and other learning and training materials, as a member-driven organization OSI individual members can vote for OSI board directors and even run for a seat.

In addition to governance, individual members are invited to join or create OSI-sponsored working groups and incubator projects in various areas of open source advocacy and adoption. These working groups and projects serve as resources for the entire open source community.

Read More Here: https://opensource.com/life/15/2/defending-open-source-join-osi-today

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This is a great partnership as both organizations are pushing for open source and transparent solutions. If you are unaware of what open source means, Wikipedia defines it as the following : In production and development, open source as a development model promotes a universal access via a free license to a product’s design or blueprint, and universal redistribution of that design or blueprint, including subsequent improvements to it by anyone. It can become more complicated with defining licenses. The OSI lists out a more detailed description here.

CAVO is a non-profit organization in California leading the way in regards to education, best practices and development of open source voting systems that are used in public elections. OSI was founded in 1998 and helps bring about education, infrastructure, collaboration of open source projects. They also aid in provide a network for open source projects and companies.

CAVO and OSI recognize that advances in open source development can provide citizens and governments the opportunity to ensure that everyone’s vote is counted accurately and securely without being held hostage to private vendors nor aging, outdated infrastructure. Innovation through open source development will provide communities the capacity and certainty to administer elections for this century and keep the promise of democracy, namely that your vote will always count.

Source: Open Source Initiative.

The post On the Quest to Improve CA Voting Systems, CAVO Joins Open Source Initiative appeared first on Follow My Vote.