april_2018

10 11 OPENING LINES NEWPOLITICALMOVEMENT LAUNCHES TOOFFERALTERNATIVE SOLUTION FOR AMERICANVOTERS T o provide a new alternative to the traditional two-party system, a new political movement, the Indie Party, launched this week at SXSW. The Indie Party is redefining political capital through the creation of a political marketplace powered by the Indie oken, a virtual political currency created by Indie Party Co. that harness- es blockchain technology to make the campaign finance system more transparent and engaging to the American voter. In January, Indie Party Co. raised $6.5 million in capital in 72 hours to create the Indie Token and related technologies and tools that will pow- er the campaigns of candidates who want to run outside of the two-par- ty system. The Indie Party’s community- and technology-driven movement is a natural fit for SXSW, with its focus on emerging technologies and rep- utation as a breeding ground for new ideas. As part of its launch, the Indie Party will engage voters from a pop-up headquarters on 4th and Colorado. The headquarters, designed and created by Indie Party Co., will serve as a one-stop shop for education on and engagement with the Indie Party, featuring information on the Party’s mission and core issues, as well as opportunities to become a member, volunteer, or donate. Indie Party Co. is also making the space available to Indie candidates and mis- sion-aligned individuals, causes and organizations. “Our goal is to build a movement that can elect candidates who will create a powerful minority between the two major political parties. At the crux of our movement is the creation of a political marketplace powered by the Indie Token, a new cryptocurrency that engages voters, volunteers and donors, and supports Indie candidates who are trying to bust up the two-party duopoly by winning elections,” said Indie Party founder Jonathan Jenkins. “In addition to harnessing blockchain technol- ogy to open up politics and provide more transparency, we’ve created physical and digital tools that will power our movement.” Jenkins is a former tech company entrepreneur who applied his knowl- edge of blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, and mobile retail spaces to politics. Indie Party Co.’s financial, physical, and digital tools are spe- cially designed for use by candidates and organizations who want to