What I would love to see is an 18F-like organization that creates open source software that helps user-facing government organizations at the state and local level. All of these things should be simple but (typically) are not:
* Paying a utility bill online
* Registering to vote
* Finding out how to get from place to place using public transportation
* Paying for public transportation passes
* Signing up for unemployment benefits
* Proving residency
* Getting an ID card
* Registering a vehicle
* Paying taxes
* Entering pleas to local courts for minor offenses and infractions without taking a day off work
* Reporting non-emergency code violations (like construction noise after hours)
* Knowing who your representatives are
* Communicating with your representatives when you do know who they are
We actually use and interact with local and state governments far more than we do with the federal government. And yet when it comes down to it, they are the most difficult to work with because their resources are so constrained. I honestly believe that local governments could benefit from some resource allocation on their behalf at the federal level for the creation of highly scalable technological public goods that will only ever be used at the local level.
* Paying a utility bill online
* Registering to vote
* Finding out how to get from place to place using public transportation
* Paying for public transportation passes
* Signing up for unemployment benefits
* Proving residency
* Getting an ID card
* Registering a vehicle
* Paying taxes
* Entering pleas to local courts for minor offenses and infractions without taking a day off work
* Reporting non-emergency code violations (like construction noise after hours)
* Knowing who your representatives are
* Communicating with your representatives when you do know who they are
We actually use and interact with local and state governments far more than we do with the federal government. And yet when it comes down to it, they are the most difficult to work with because their resources are so constrained. I honestly believe that local governments could benefit from some resource allocation on their behalf at the federal level for the creation of highly scalable technological public goods that will only ever be used at the local level.