Daniel Echlin

Full-Stack Engineer | Democracy Enthusiast

About Me

I'm a software engineer and civic activist working at the intersection of technology and democratic engagement. As a senior engineer, I've built high-performance distributed systems at industry leaders including Google and MongoDB, working across multiple technology stacks including Java, Python, Go, and TypeScript. My technical work has focused on solving complex scalability challenges and architecting robust systems that serve millions of users.

I've also been deeply involved in civic innovation, particularly in developing and implementing deep canvassing techniques for voter engagement. My analysis of canvassing work in the 2022 midterms in Pennsylvania furthered the evidence that relational canvassing is high ROI for voter turnout. I'm now working on combining my technical expertise and civic experience to build a healthier information culture.

Projects

AQI bot

Posts the AQI near Central Park, NY to Bluesky. Experiment with Bluesky bots and Vercel crons.

bsky.app

Swap your vote

Airtable scripting contributions to matching algorithm in 11th-hour voting project (code not public).

swapyourvote.org

Census data per precinct

Geographic join in Python to figure out average income per precinct in some Philadelphia neighborhoods.

Github repo

danielechlin.xyz

Astro, shadcn, and AI tools like v0.dev, Claude and Copilot.

Github repo

Writing

Interests

I'm interested in collaborating to improve our liberal democratic institutions and culture. I'm particularly concerned about the following topics:

Information, misinformation and filter bubbles

Private platforms have outsized influence on civic discourse. Do voters care enough?

Polls, betting markets and public opinion research

How do we keep polls relevant in an era of high polarization and razor-thin election margins?

Securely counting the votes

How do we securely count the votes, and convince everyone we did, even when Democrats win?

Digital security for poll workers and activists

Because it's getting scary out there.

Organizing technology

Why was Philadelphia oversaturated and Harrisburg a ghost town election weekend?

The cross-cutting impact of AI

Maybe voters can just get their news from a personalized AI bot and all will be right in the world.

Get in Touch

I'm always open to new opportunities and collaborations. Feel free to reach out!