Political Startup Earns Accolades, Becomes SXSW Award Finalist

, a fresh organization that is attempting to bring American voters the first nonpartisan nomination, has gotten the attention of South by Southwest.

South by Southwest (commonly known as SXSW) is an annual festival for the music and film industries, combined with a splash of technology and various interactive elements. Today, SXSW has announced that AmericansElect.org has been selected as one of the 2012 Interactive Awards Finalist within the experimental category. “Americans Elect uniquely offers everyone an online way to participate, regardless of party affiliation, in political discussion and debate, and results in a balanced ticket that is on the ballot nationwide,” Joshua S. Levine, Chief Technology Officer of Americans Elect, said in a company release. “It is an honor to be recognized for our effort to reform the political process with American technology and innovation, at a time when our country is in desperate need of reform. If we can start to change the way we elect our officials, we can change the way they govern, and that to me is real reform.” According to Americans Elect, 66% of the country wants an independent to run for president this November. Earlier this week, the organization claimed that a new poll (conducted by Americans Elect) shows that voters are evenly divided between voting for a Democrat, a Republican, and an “independent-minded” presidential candidate. “This polling is consistent with other national polls that demonstrate the need for a new way to pick a president,” Americans Elect insists. While the aforementioned statistic might be exactly the information Americans Elect wants voters to know about (as opposed to the millions who support our existing president or his opponents), it is no secret that many American voters are not happy. Ultimately, Americans Elect may not be able to complete its goal. And even if it can get a third person on the ballot, the idea of a truly nonpartisan candidate might be

. But if nothing else, the concept is pretty darn intriguing.