This TED Talk features civic engagement champion Tiana Epps Johnson, recorded live at TED Salon Zebra 2018.

Okay. I want to take a moment to let each of you think to yourselves about the last time you sent or received a fax.

Well, for me, it was this morning,

because one piece of my work

is making sure that everyone in the U.S.

has the information that they need

to make decisions about the candidates on their ballot.

And collecting that information

from the local government offices responsible for maintaining it means sending and receiving a lot of faxes.

Voting is one of our most fundamental rights.

It's one of the most tangible ways that each and every one of us can shape our communities.

And as we enter this fourth industrial revolution

where technology is changing everything around us,

you would think, with something as important as the right to vote,

that we would have the most modern, secure, inclusive system that could exist.

But we don't.

When we look at comparable democracies,

the US has one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the world.

We have a system where even the most persistent voters

come up against exhausting barriers,

a system where 20th century technology, like fax machines,

and outdated practices stand in the way of full, vibrant participation.

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