Here’s a detailed, easy-to-follow markdown guide for tech-contributions.md, tailored specifically for tech volunteers and developers who want to contribute to the campaign through GitHub:

🛠️ Tech Contributions at Castro for Georgia

Welcome, technologists, coders, and digital innovators! Your skills can help build the first fully open-source congressional campaign platform right here in Georgia’s 5th District.

Whether you’re a web developer, data scientist, or automation wizard, there’s a space here for you to make a tangible impact.

🖥️ What We’re Building

Our tech team creates, maintains, and enhances digital tools empowering grassroots activism, transparency, and community participation. Projects include:

Campaign website – responsive, multilingual, accessible.
Volunteer app (Mantle) – safe, privacy-first resource hub.
Data dashboards – real-time visualizations of campaign engagement, voter priorities, and community feedback.
Automations (GitHub Actions) – bots that streamline contributions, welcome newcomers, and generate insights.

📂 How Tech Projects are Organized

All tech contributions live in:

campaign/
├─ campaign-hq/
│   └─ tech-and-data/        ← main tech workspace
│       ├─ website/
│       ├─ volunteer-app/
│       ├─ dashboards/
│       └─ actions-automations/

Each subfolder includes a detailed README.md that explains the project setup, goals, and how you can get started quickly.

🚀 Quick Start Guide (For Tech Contributors)

Step 1: Pick a Task (Issue)

Visit our Issues page.
Filter by labels like:
- tech
- help wanted
- good first issue

Claim a task by commenting directly on the Issue!

Step 2: Set Up Your Development Environment

You have two easy options:

Option A (Recommended): Codespaces
- One-click setup on GitHub: instant dev environment in the browser.
- Simply click “Open in Codespaces” on the repo homepage.
Option B: Local Setup
- Clone the repository locally.
- Follow specific instructions in each project’s README.md to set up your local environment.

Step 3: Make Your Contribution

Work directly in your Codespace or local copy.
Commit changes clearly and descriptively (e.g., fix: responsive header issue).
Submit a Pull Request (PR) for review:
- PR title clearly describes changes.
- Reference the original Issue number (e.g., “Closes #123”).

🛡️ Security and Privacy Guidelines

We prioritize community safety and data privacy:

Never commit: Personal info, API keys, database credentials.
Use mock data: For testing and demo purposes.
Security scanning: Automatic scans run on PRs to detect sensitive info.

⚙️ GitHub Features You’ll Love

Codespaces: Zero-config dev environments. No local setup needed.
GitHub Actions: Automate repetitive tasks (welcome bots, nightly reports, CI/CD).
Projects (Kanban): Track your progress and see what’s needed most urgently.
Secret scanning: Automatically catch accidental secrets before they merge.

💡 Project Ideas & Tasks You Can Take On

Task	Tech Level	Label to Search
Improve website accessibility	Frontend (CSS, HTML, React)	`tech`, `frontend`, `help wanted`
Create new voter engagement dashboard	Data (Python, JS, D3.js)	`tech`, `data-visualization`
Write automation scripts (welcome bot, digest generator)	DevOps, GitHub Actions	`tech`, `automation`
Improve Mantle app performance	Flutter, Dart, Mobile	`tech`, `mobile-app`

📖 Example Workflow (Typical Contribution)

Claim Issue #45: “Make header responsive on campaign website.”
Open Codespace → branch: responsive-header-fix.
Edit CSS/React files → test changes in Codespace preview.
Commit clearly (fix: responsive header, closes #45).
Open PR → PR reviewed quickly → merge!

📝 Review & Collaboration

Your PR will get reviewed by another contributor or maintainer.
Friendly, constructive feedback is always provided.
Merge after review, and see your work go live quickly!

🌟 Recognition & Impact

Contributions appear publicly in the repo history, and your GitHub profile.
Top contributors regularly highlighted in campaign updates and announcements.
You’ll see the immediate real-world impact of your work—improving engagement and accessibility for thousands of constituents.

📞 Need Support?

Post in our Help Desk Discussion.
Join weekly Zoom office hours to collaborate directly with maintainers.

❓ FAQ

“Can beginners contribute?” Absolutely! Start with issues labeled good first issue.

“Can I suggest my own tech ideas?” Yes, please open a GitHub Discussion or Issue with your proposal.

“Do I need prior GitHub experience?” No. Check out our Quick Start Guide.

🚦 Ready to Contribute?

Head over to the Issues Page, claim your first tech issue, and start building!

Thank you for using your tech skills to help build a campaign that truly serves the working class in GA‑05!

Next Steps for Enhancing Tech Contributions:

Create quick-start videos demonstrating how to set up Codespaces for non-technical volunteers.
Set up automatic assignment and labeling of issues via GitHub Actions to streamline volunteer onboarding.

Let me know which document you’d like to work on next, or if you’d like adjustments here!

Tech Contributions Guide