Hackathons are fast becoming a quick but effective way of bringing together developers, civic hackers, election officials, journalists, data analysts and designers to create tools and projects that promote openness in the way government relates with citizens. This is why we are happy to be part of Hacks for Democracy which will be happening in Philadelphia, PA on September 15th.

Hacks for Democracy is an elections-focused hackathon which will bring together folks with ideas for apps to improve this fall’s election while building tools that improve citizen engagement and create apps that will get registered voters to go to the voting booth in November.  The hackathon also hopes to develop apps that might help mitigate the impact of voter ID laws and come up with data that would make local city council and board of elections more transparent.

Register for the Hacks for Democracy hackathon and come see how Sunlight APIs including Congress, Influence Explorer, Open States and Capitol Words are motivating developers to unlock their governments. Yours truly will be on hand to explain how our APIs have spurred innovation across the nation and how you too can develop tools that will improve the way your local government engages with their residents.

Still on the fence whether or not to attend Hacks for Democracy? Maybe our latest tool will motivate you. Just recently launched, Ad Hawk started as an idea at a Philadelphia’s Hacks/Hackers meetup, and didn’t become a project until December 2011 at the Random Hacks of Kindness hackathon. Now, Ad Hawk is helping voters understand who is paying for their democracy by identifying the influence behind election ads.

You can also submit a project idea for the hackathon and check out more of the event details including rules, resources and the full schedule here.

Twitter hashtag: #hacks4d