“My Generation Can Spot the Deepfake. That's Not Enough.”
The Fulcrum · June 7, 2026 · read
Opinion essay on AI deepfakes, generational media literacy, and civic vulnerability.
Nonpartisan solutions-journalism outlet focused on American democracy.
Press
About VoteValue
VoteValue is a nonpartisan civic transparency platform created by Maneesh Vaddi, a 17-year-old rising senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. The platform helps voters across the United States understand the political power of their address through a personalized VoteValue Index score, interactive district maps spanning all 50 states with 163,000+ precincts, redistricting modification tools, and community-proposed map marketplaces. VoteValue has active users across 19 states and has been demoed to 10+ Virginia legislative offices on a bipartisan basis, Congressman James Walkinshaw's office (VA-11), the Virginia Governor's STEM Education Advisory Board, and Old Dominion University's Political Science Association.
About the Founder
Maneesh Vaddi is a rising senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Northern Virginia. He is the creator of VoteValue and co-creator and team lead of O-Seal, an autonomous in-pipe water infrastructure repair system with a provisional patent pending. His research on gerrymandering and voter turnout has been published in the GMU Journal of Student-Scientists' Research and presented at international conferences. He has spoken at the United Nations ECOSOC Chamber and at the Right Here, Right Now Global Youth Climate Summit (Oxford Saïd × Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment × UN OHCHR × Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance, June 2026).
Key Facts
- Founded
- 2024
- Creator
- Maneesh Vaddi (17, TJHSST Class of 2027)
- Location
- Northern Virginia
- Coverage
- All 50 states + DC, 163,904 precincts
- Active users
- Across 19 states
- Legislative engagement
- 10+ Virginia offices (bipartisan), Congressman Walkinshaw (VA-11), Governor's STEM Education Advisory Board
- Research
- Published in GMU Journal of Student-Scientists' Research (doi:10.13021/jssr2025.5321)
- Speaking
- UN ECOSOC Chamber (May 2026), Right Here, Right Now Global Youth Climate Summit (June 2026)
- O-Seal
- Provisional patent pending, Blue Ocean Top 100 globally (4,800 teams, 173 countries)
- Tech stack
- Python Flask, Leaflet.js, PostgreSQL on AWS, GeoJSON
Bylines
Mentions
Sen. Bill Stanley (R-VA)
Facebook · Feb 20, 2025 · post
Virginia state senator's public post featuring Maneesh and his gerrymandering research after an office visit at the Capitol.
College Democrats of Kentucky
Instagram · 2025 · post
CDKY executive post mentioning a meeting with VoteValue and its district-level analytics tools during statewide organizing outreach.
ODU Political Science Association
Instagram · 2025 · post
Post about his invited speaker appearance on civic technology and redistricting.
Assets
Screenshots and brand assets coming soon.
Media inquiries
For interviews, features, or press inquiries, reach out at maneeshvaddi [at] gmail [dot] com. I typically respond within 48 hours.