Former Members of Congress, National Organizations, Join Countable’s Aggressive Expansion

WASHINGTON - March 26, 2015 - PRLog -- The top app for quickly learning about proposed laws and lobbying lawmakers on them, Countable (www.countable.us), is today announcing an aggressive expansion plan that includes new functionality, involvement by former Members of Congress, and use by national organizations.  Today’s announcements come on the heels of news that Countable users sent more than 1 million emails to Capitol Hill, via the app, since the app launched less than one year ago

Former Members of Congress Patrick Murphy (D-PA) and Jon Runyan (R-NJ) have officially joined Countable’s board of advisors. They join seasoned political pros Joe Trippi, the campaign manager for Governor Howard Dean’s Presidential Campaign, and George Gorton, the campaign manager for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and others.

Further, Countable is announcing Disabled American Veterans, the United States Student Association, and Brave New Films, and more, have already signed up to take advantage of the app’s new organization profile pages. Through that functionality, advocacy groups now have a central place to promote their views on federal legislation, give their supporters a chance to quickly, and easily, contact their lawmakers, and attract new supporters to their cause.  All happening on a platform designed to suit today’s modern activists: across devices, with an emphasis on social influence.

You can view some organizational  profiles here:

Disabled American Veterans - https://www.countable.us/dav

US Student Association - https://www.countable.us/usstudentassociation

Brave New Films - https://www.countable.us/bravenewfilms

Finally, the app is unveiling functionality that allows individual users to create personal profile pages, and “follow” each other (similar to Twitter). Profiles let users share their votes publicly, and explain, in their own words, why they support or oppose particular pieces of legislation, and urge others to tell their elected officials to vote the same way. The “follow” function allows users to keep updated on the legislation their friends, family, and supported organizations find important.

More about how Countable works can be seen in these one-minute videos:

Introduction to Countable - Fixing Democracy Once and For All

https://youtu.be/Yz5iTk24BzI



How To Send A Message To Your Lawmaker Using Countable

https://youtu.be/0Bc-Y_vZYjs



How to Add your Opinion on Legislation and Share it with Others

https://youtu.be/yhWIVAWhzzk

A full collection of quotes from those involved in today’s news are attached below.

Countable was launched in May 2014, to give constituents an easy and straightforward way to understand proposed laws, and keep track of, and directly influence, their lawmakers.

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QUOTES FROM COUNTABLE AND ITS USERS, ON TODAY’S NEWS

Bart Myers, CEO, Countable

“We’re excited by all the buzz that Countable has generated, but we’re ready to aggressively move the ball forward.  The insight and reach that we gain by joining with Congressmen Murphy and Runyan, and the incredible leading organizations who are partnering with us, is invaluable and will propel Countable forward.”

The debut of public profiles adds a new level of personalization. It empowers Countable users to recruit others to support their views on important pieces of pending legislation. The organization profiles offer advocacy groups a chance to see instant expansion of the reach of their own brand to entire new audiences, and the opportunity to leverage our technology as a force-multiplier, in conjunction with their existing grassroots lobbying tools.  And we have a lot more in store in the next couple of weeks. Watch this space.”

Patrick Murphy, Former Member of Congress (D-PA), New Countable Advisor

“The dirty secret about Capitol Hill is how many votes Representatives and Senators cast without the metrics of how their constituents feel about the bill.  Anecdotally they may take calls or emails, or someone might bring it up to them in the district, but they’ll take hundreds and hundreds of votes, without getting a call or email about it beforehand, and have rely on other factors, to measure how their constituents want them to vote.”

“Countable is changing that.  There is not a single piece of new technology that does what Countable does, as well as it does it.  I’m convinced not only is it becoming the go-to app for communicating to Congress, but it is a game changer in terms of the number of issues and bills that Representatives and Senators will hear from their constituents about.”

Jon Runyan, Former Member of Congress (R-NJ), New Countable Advisor

“The more complex legislative bills become, the less people actually understand them, and the lower our public involvement in the lawmaking process becomes.  People just don’t have time to digest legislation, form an educated opinion and also figure out how to contact their Representative or Senators. Working, raising a family, managing their budgets there simply is just not enough time in the day.”

“Countable is bridging that gap.  It makes understanding legislation quick and easy and makes telling your elected officials how you feel they should vote even easier.  Countable, in under a minute, allows people to really understand a bill and contact their lawmaker to express their feelings about it.  If we are ever to rebuild public awareness, involvement in the process and accountability in lawmaking, Countable is going to be a key part of it.”

Joe Trippi, Campaign Manager for Dean for America, Countable Advisor

“When I signed on as an advisor to Countable, when it launched, it was largely based on faith.  I had faith that a smart team, with a good product that gives all Americans the power to influence their lawmakers, and hold them accountable, would succeed.  One million emails to Capitol Hill later, Countable has justified my faith, and then some.”

“Now, by adding personal profiles, and forming organizational partnerships, Countable has found that sweet spot, where the technology of engagement meets policy-making.  They’re clearly leading in this arena, which is not just good for them, but it is good for the future of our democracy.”

Marc Burgess, CEO and National Adjutant, Disabled American Veterans

"Advocacy is in a constant state of evolution and to make your voice count you have to be speaking in a space where people can hear you. We have to look for the best ways to educate veterans, lawmakers and the American public about veterans issues, and Countable offers a widely accessible, socially integrated place for users to share information and make an impact.”

Justin Habler, Legislative Director, US Student Association

"As student advocates, having our voices genuinely heard has become exceedingly difficult with our legislators listening more and more to the money. With Countable, we can directly tell our elected officials how we'd vote and why, right over our smartphones. This certainly helps us engage students by reaching them through a portal they're familiar with, not alienated by."

Regina Clemente, Director of Campaigns, Brave New Films

“Brave New Films makes feature and short films for the purpose of making a real impact on issues of racial justice, economic inequality, and national and global security. Partnering with Countable gives BNF the opportunity to connect our activist to a tool that allows them to see more of our films and directly participate in sharing their views with elected officials on the issues we care most about.”

“Countable makes it easy, participatory, and communal for folks to come together to take action and get their voices heard. It’s a form of online activism that the world needs more of: one where activists are not just talking to their peers or followers, but directly to decision makers.”