It\u2019s been 4 months since we ran our last public-facing meetup. Much has happened in the world since then. Back in early November, the US elections had not concluded, and most Germans still thought they had plenty of time until the elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Responding to our times, we are preparing next week\u2019s meetup, \u2018Better voting, better democracy\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Initially, we wanted to run it before the snap election. As potential speakers were too busy, we moved it by a couple of weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Secretly, I still consider myself the primary audience for the meetup, and I continue to be grateful other people are interested in the same topics. We have 2 speakers confirmed. Once again, one works for a government organisation, while the other works for an NGO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While we continue to aim for 3 speakers, most of the time, we end up confirming 2, which is perfectly fine, and we still get a broad enough and more profound viewpoint on the topic as there is more time for both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I finished the poster design over the weekend. I tried 2 other routes before and ended up with a lighthearted take on the ubiquitous crossed circle on the ballet. An image we have seen so much in den election run up and afterwards. Given the title \u2018Better voting\u2019, better democracy\u2019, I drew an incomplete \u2018tic tac toe\u2019 game in an attempt to illustrate some of the shifts in the political landscape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A poster design on the same topic 4 months earlier would likely have looked quite differently. Our realities have moved quite a bit since then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More and more, I \u2013 we collectively \u2013 realise: The things we do are much more fragile than we think. The sudden erasure of US government unit 18F over the weekend proved that again. How we retain our work is a question that has been heavy on my mind for a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Guides, blog posts, tools \u2013 records of a decade\u2019s work \u2013 are gone. It\u2019s not the first time we have seen this, albeit not in this forcefulness. In an instant, 18F\u2019s widely referenced and linked material became inaccessible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I continue to be so, so, so grateful for all of my int\u2019l #GovDesign colleagues working in the open.\n\nI am delighted to have just read an 18F blog post about a task we will have in the next few weeks and months.\n\n#WorkingInTheOpen means people saving time, avoiding mistakes, and leapfrogging a bit.<\/p>— Martin Jordan (@martinjordan.com<\/a>) February 26, 2025 at 5:01 PM<\/a><\/blockquote>