An ambitious new undertaking, a free app that tracks and compares state performance across 50 key indicators, has been announced by America’s Pulse, a nonpartisan, nonprofit initiative.

America’s Pulse is led by John M. Bernard, currently senior fellow for the Washington Policy Center, and author of “Government That Works”;  Martin O’Malley, former Maryland Governor  (and former Commissioner of Social Security), and Robert Shea, Chief Executive Officer of GovNavigators and leader of the implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act. 

The app uses reliable audited federally reported data and provides state by state data for incarceration rates, traffic fatalities, high school graduation rates, cost of health care, infant mortality, state debt and so on. Additionally, it gives users the capacity to compare state data to national averages. “That data has always existed,” said Bernard in a podcast, Now, it’s in the palm of your hand. . . the notion is that citizens need to drive accountability in government. . . “

As a release for the effort explains “the project aims to unite Americans on common ground, enabling meaningful citizen engagement and communication with elected officials, rather than fueling political division. Today’s politics polarize Americans over a handful of issues to gain and hold power; America’s Pulse unites us based on our shared interest in 50 indicators that impact the quality of our lives.”

Initially, state facts will be the centerpiece of the app, but plans for the future include the capacity to “enable citizens to prioritize the measures for improvement, enable learning more about the top performing states’ solutions, be able to share personal stories through text, audio, and video, humanizing the measures impact. 

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