This post seems particularly poignant post Super Tuesday. Let’s get out the vote, America.
American Idle: Everybody knows that voter turnout stinks in America. Although 2008 marked a 40-year high for turnout in presidential elections, it still brought less than 60% of registered voters out to the polls* while less than 10%** turn out for primaries. While mobilizing voters, especially the disenfranchised and disconnected, can be complicated, low turnout can be boiled down to two reasons: casting a vote is not perceived as having a meaningful impact and getting to the polls can be hard. America of the 21st century can ill afford the disenfranchisement of voter apathy.
Vision: In a perfectly networked world, the Internet could make direct democracy a reality. In spite of the immense challenges to changing the voting system—technical, social, and political—there’s little reason to shy away from experimentation. Massive mobilization campaigns (Rock the Vote, Vote or Die, Obama 2008) come and go every four years, whereas new online architecture would endure. We don’t necessarily need to aim for online voting or referendums just yet.
Imagine if instead of having to seek out the bills or transcripts of key congressional hearings, you received this information just as you do news, social feeds, and check-ins? Elected representatives already use twitter, why not find new digital means to connect with their constituents Already, activists are bombarding politicians’ handles with floods of tweets and the iPhone app One makes it easier to identify and call your representative. In the global marketplace, corporations are collecting the opinions of global citizens through cell phones- the new consumer should be able to contribute just as directly to the political process, in massive votes (or polls) with non-binding outcomes.
Implementation: See this project: “Netflix for voting.” Turbovote wants to send out absentee ballots on a massive scale, just like Netflix sends out DVDs. If more people can vote from home, not only will more citizens be voters, but they’ll also be more informed voters. Instead of dealing with long lines or missed work time, absentee voters will have the time to do some quick research on candidates or ballot items they’re not familiar with. Granted, the possibilities of voter intimidation and coercion outside of the polling place remain drawbacks, but we commend the effort to get out the vote. This is only the first (but vital) step toward the voting booth becoming as much of an anachronism as the phone booth.
Citation: Nathaniel Levy & Andrew Magliozzi
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