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US ambassador is first to take oath on an electronic device

US ambassador is first to take oath on an electronic device

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Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein sworn in with Kindle Touch

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Suzi LeVine has become the first US ambassador to be sworn in to her position using an electronic device. LeVine, the American diplomatic representative for Switzerland and Liechtenstein, laid her hand on a Kindle Touch displaying a digital copy of the US Constitution to swear her oath of office. As shown in a picture of the ceremony tweeted by the US embassy in London, the Kindle was open on the first page of the 19th amendment, which prohibits any US citizen from being denied the right to vote because of their gender.

LeVine, who was sworn in last week at the White House by Joe Biden, has experience in the technology industry, having worked for Microsoft between 2009 and 2012 on the company's education efforts. She's the first ambassador to complete an oath of office using an electronic device, but not the first US public official, as The Washington Post points out. Earlier this year, a Long Island county official and New Jersey firefighters laid their hands on iPads to complete their oaths after ceremony organizers were unable to find physical copies of the Bible.