Ken Bone's App DonorDex Will Help Average People Get Involved In Politics

The man in the red sweater, Ken Bone, started a company to help average people run for public office. The app called “Donor Dex” is designed to connect candidates with potential donors with similar political ideals.

Bone became an internet sensation after he asked a question on energy policy at the second Presidential debate in St. Louis in October 2016, a month before the election. His red sweater and his earnest question quickly made him the internet’s latest obsession following the debate. Now he’s using that momentum to try and to improve political participation ... and maybe make a couple bucks in the process.

He recently described his new project at the Conservative Political Action Conference. “So we’re taking that big barrier to entry that normal hard working citizens have and we’re throwing it out the window so that we can get good ideas from regular folks back into politics,” he said in an interview.

The app isn’t available for download yet, but for those with political aspirations who want to use it can pre-register now on the app’s website. For those who pre-register, the app will be available late in Spring 2017, according to DonorDex. The app will be available on both iOS and Android devices.

Fundraising consultants can cost tens of thousands of dollars, money the average person doesn’t have just sitting around, so Bone is trying to make it easier for the average American to be heard, and represented. The app will prompt users to choose whether they’re looking to run for a Federal, State, County or Municipal office and define their ideology, from there users will be connected with donors.