Interactivity : Final Project Prototype Development II

Technology

Computer Vision

Processing with Blob Detection Library

Webcam

“Secrets” portion

After Effects

Prototype II

Interactivity : Final Project Prototype Development

Draft A

Draft B

Interactivity: Final Project Precedents

Final Project List of Precedents

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Electioneering : Board of Elections Website Analysis | Texas

• Immediately faced with a great deal of information and multiple navigation locations
  • Top Left Vertical Nav (Home, Site Index, etc)
  • Top Center Horizontal Nav with Pictures (About the Office, Elections & Voter Info, State Rules, etc)
  • Left Lower Vertical Nav (related links under Top Center option “Elections & Voter Information”
• Still not a fluid arrangement of information
• Voter Information leads me to this list of links:

Electioneering : Choice of Wiki

Requirements:

• Universal Editing Capabilities by all users
• Embed Links
• Embed Video/Audio
• Voting

Some Options:

• WackoWiki
• Media Wiki
• DocuWiki

Electioneering : Board of Elections Website Analysis | Idaho

Ok. This rocks. Look what Idaho has posted on their site since they are “Determined to Vote”:

http://www.idahovotes.gov/Media/Determined_to_Vote_animation.wmv

Electioneering : Final Project Checklist

• CONTENT | What questions need answering on Board of Elections websites?  I am brainstorming to gather as many questions as might be relevant to a voter.  As the project is focused on the voter as user, it creates a stricter guideline for questions to ask.

  • STATUS : Currently brainstorming.  Still perusing through websites that are well-done to collect questions.  Also, I want to keep in mind that it’s not just about answering the questions, but perhaps the WAY the questions are answered.  For instance, New Hampshire has available “How To Vote” videos available for download.  Currently, they are not in their most accessible presentation as one is required to fully download to their hard disk, but definitely the idea and resources are there.

• TECHNOLOGY | I have begun my introduction into setting up my own wiki for this project.  I agree that utilizing the web community to populate the project with content is a good idea.

  • STATUS : I have downloaded WackoWiki software to begin setting up the project.  This is my first experience with setting up a wiki, so there is a learning curve, but luckily I am taking Intro to DB, so at least it’s not quite as foreign as it could be.  Worst case is that I simply begin collecting the information on my own and posting it in table form.  I think that more interesting results will stem from this being a group project, though.  We shall see… we shall see…

• OUTREACH | Once running, by what method should I do outreach to ask for help?  Should I target organizations like the League of Women Voters?  Or perhaps there are forums where I am able to post the project?

  • STATUS : Keeping this in the back of my mind, but not quite ready to ask for help just yet.

Electioneering : Questions Every Voter Needs Answered

Deciding on what questions every voter needs answered on their state’s Board of Elections website:

Before I begin to analyze each of the state’s websites, I really need to focus on what information needs to be at their fingertips. Not all of the information available on each state’s website will be relevant to this exercise. I looked to the Help America Vote Act of 2002 for direction on what questions need answering, as well.

HAVA 2002:

To establish a program to provide funds to States to replace punch card voting systems, to establish the Election Assistance Commission to assist in the administration of Federal elections and to otherwise provide assistance with the administration of certain Federal election laws and programs, to establish minimum election administration standards for States and units of local government with responsibility for the administration of Federal elections, and for other purposes.

Question Brainstorming:

• How do I vote?
• Where do I vote?
• Am I eligible to vote?
• Do I need to do anything before I can vote? (register, etc.)
• When do I vote?
• Who are the candidates?
• What do I do when I get to the Polling Site?
• What are the rules of the Polling Site?
• How do I use the voting machine?
• I am disabled, are accessible voting booths available?
• Is the voting system secure?
• How do I become a Poll Worker?

Other Questions:

• Should the analysis also have a section on the level of technology used?  For instance, New Hampshire offers videos on “How to Vote” (see rest of post below) vs. Oklahoma that requires its users to download pdf’s for nearly all of its resources.
• Should the analysis offer a vote for “Best in Show” sites so that those contributing to the project can say whether one state sets an example (perhaps through visual design, navigation, resources)?  This would not be a full on analysis of each state’s detailed graphics or navigation, but could be a useful tool to narrow down what states are easy to view which can play an important roll in user interaction.

Poll Worker or Election Judge for a Day

http://avi-rubin.blogspot.com/2008/01/2008-election-judge-training.html

So, I was reading Avi Rubin’s blog… first about a lunar eclipse (very cool, but the pictures don’t really seem real)… and then on to his day of training for being an election judge. This entry combined with our day at the polls got me wondering about whether we are all complaining about incompetence and ineptitude among poll workers, but yet we never put our money where our mouths are and volunteer ourselves. I’m not saying that I’m running out right now to sign up, but it would do us all good to think about it as one small way of improving the system.

pictures from his training:
http://web.mac.com/avirubin/Site_2/ElectionTraining_2008.html

Internet Voting: An Alternative for Michigan and Florida?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/22/us/politics/22web-seelye.html?pagewant…This New York Times story revisits one of the topics that we’ve been discussing all semester: internet voting. In the face of a tight Democratic primary season, Michigan and Florida are scrambling to find a Plan B that is palatable to voters, candidates, and party officials alike. Some think that internet voting is the answer.

One of the points that this article brings up is the idea of universally accessible voting. Many say that internet voting is prejudiced against minorities, and some of the comments submitted by their readers believe that it is prejudiced against the elderly. It seems to me that some of these people need to be a little more go with the flow about change. So… a person does not have a computer in their home, but they left the house successfully to vote in previous elections when they went to a polling location… what’s stopping them from popping by their local library to use the computer there? Most likely a program to train librarians to assist the process could be developed. This whole reasoning just seems a little wonky when you could feasibly vote in a Best Buy these days since they have open computers with internet connections.

A point that Avi Rubin brings up in this article is a little problematic, as well. He suggests that there is no way to effectively test internet voting because no matter what small scale tests are done there is no way of ensuring success on voting day. A little fatalistic isn’t it? I, too, believe that this next step to digital voting can be troublesome, but there must be a way to at least try.