Midterm elections have since come and gone, so now what? Whether you were disappointed or satisfied with the results, it’s important to keep up with our elected officials to make sure they are following through with what you hoped to see change or stay the same.  

We don’t always have time to spend hours scrolling through multiple news sites trying to gather as much as we can to keep track, but with Countable, you won’t have to.

The Countable app provides a synopsis of news and bills going through Congress. It is “your government made simple,” as their slogan states. In addition to legislation summaries, the app has react options where Countable community members are encouraged to interact with each other and take action.

Upon downloading the app, my first impression was not a great one. I had several issues signing up, especially through the Facebook feature. After many failed attempts, I was finally able to sign in and had no difficulty navigating through the app from there.

Countable has made it easy for users to contact and hold their representatives accountable. When I first opened the app to sign up, it requested my zip code and promptly provided me with my representatives: John Cornyn, Ted Cruz and Lamar Smith.

I could simply click on their icon and have the option to call, message or video message my representatives to voice any concerns. You can also scroll down on each representative and it will show you all of the bills they have sponsored, whether they voted “yes” or “no,” along with which bills were rejected or passed.

Like other social media platforms, Countable has a feed and notifications tab. However, Countable actually gives you the option to choose what you would like to see appear on your feed.

The app has more than 100 issues to choose from, such as women’s equality, guns and even Congress shenanigans. As I scrolled through these issues, I was able to click check on issues I wanted to be more informed on paired with the bills related to those issues.

Another pro to this app is that it doesn’t flood your timeline with tons of advertisements.

Besides the difficulty I had with signing in, the only other con that some users may find discouraging about the app is that although the information presented is non-partisan, the Countable community overwhelmingly leans more towards the left.

Ultimately, I don’t think that should be the reason to completely turn you away from downloading and using all the other useful features Countable has to offer. There isn’t any other news or legislative tracking apps that I have used that is quite like it– and it is free!

Overall, Countable has made it easier for me to keep track of bills and form my own opinion. Will I use it as frequently as my other social media platforms? Probably not, but it most definitely comes in handy when I’m curious as to what is going on in Congress and the court systems.

Rating: 4 out of 5