A BRIEFING ON PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES AFFECTING CIVIL LIBERTIES ONLINE
from
THE CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND TECHNOLOGY
CONTENTS:
(1) Use of the Web in Election Campaigns Now the Norm
(2) Non-Partisan Online Voters' Resources Offer Information on Candidates
(3) How Candidates Can Make Better Use of the Web
(4) Tips for Organizations Creating Online Voter Education Guides
With the end of the primaries, election 2002 has kicked into high gear. It is clear that candidate Web sites and online voter education guides have become standard tools for candidates and promoters of voter awareness.
CDT takes this opportunity to highlight some of the online resources that are helping improve electoral democracy. These include:
To keep up to date on election and campaign resources, we recommend joining Steve Clift's Democracies Online Newswire -- http://www.e-democracy.org/do/
Steve maintains a comprehensive list of 2002 U.S. Election News, Information and Links at http://www.e-democracy.org/us/
Several years ago, there was a rush by for-profits companies to create political Web sites. Most of those efforts folded with the bursting of the dot-com bubble, but the quality of the remaining resources has improved. Most of these are now run by nonprofit groups, government agencies or a collaboration between the two. Here are a couple of the best:
DNet is an interactive Web site designed to improve the quality and quantity of voter information and create a more educated and involved electorate. Founded by the Center for Governmental Studies, DNet is now a project of the League of Women Voters Education Fund. The site encourages candidates to address a wider range of issues, and in greater depth, than they might in other media. On DNet, candidates debate their positions in an "electronic town hall" before on-line audiences. Voters can email candidates directly to ask questions, to volunteer or to make donation. Voters can also submit questions to be posed to all the candidates in a race.
DNet is easy to use. Candidates can enter their positions directly, without any editing. And voters enjoy one-stop shopping for information on candidates, ballot measures, campaign finance information, political parties and elected officials, all based on zip code.
In the 2000 election, it became evident that many citizens could not confirm whether they were registered to vote or to see what a ballot looked like before they got to the polling booth. Many state governments and public interest groups have tried to solve this problem using online systems. Yet most either do not provide enough information or put privacy at risk in trying to confirm the identity of users. From what CDT has seen, Michigan is the first state to get it right.
Working with the Secretary of State, a Detroit based group called Publius has developed the Voter Information Center. The site asks a voter's name, but limits the collection of personal information to only the amount needed to confirm a registration. Once registration is confirmed, the voter is given polling place information (including a map); a mock-up ballot with links to candidate Web sites; instructions on how to use the voting equipment at the polling place; and a voting calendar. Thus, tailored information is provided to users without sacrificing privacy. This Michigan system should serve as a national model.
Non-profits in Minnesota http://www.myballot.net and California http://www.smartvoter.org have also put together excellent systems to provide almost the same level of information available in Michigan.
While almost every candidate today has a Web site, very few use them effectively. A new tool put out by the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet provides the best how-to guide we've seen so far: "Online Campaigning 2002: A Primer" -- http://www.ipdi.org/primer2002.html
Drawing on conferences, surveys, interviews, field research,news reports and academic studies, the Institute has amassed an amazing amount of information into a concise (and free!) resource.
CDT especially highly recommends that all campaigns take a look at the Primer's "Best Practices Checklist." Aside from the fact that the list will be used by the Institute and others to review campaign sites for praise and scorn, it also offers the best guide available on how to make sites interactive and accessible to voters, volunteers and community groups.
For years libraries, the news media and nonprofit organizations have made printed voter's guides to help educate the public on candidate's positions on issues. Effective use of the Web can make these guides available to more people at a lower cost. However, many groups have simply put the printed version of their guides online or have otherwise failed to make use of the Internet's potential for presenting information in new ways.
One of the leading groups providing educational materials for voters, the California Voter Foundation (CVF), has now put together a resource to help promote best practices in the creation of online voter guides. "How to Make an Online Voter Guide: Quick Tips for the Voter Educator" -- http://www.calvoter.org/manual/quicktips.html offers a quick and easy-to-follow set of tips in creating these important resources.
CVF's own Online Voter's Guide http://www.calvoter.org/2002 serves as a model. The site gives voter's a comprehensive overview not only of the candidates and their donors, but also detailed information on the often confusing ballot propositions that continue to mark California's elections.
Detailed information about online civil liberties issues may be found at http://www.cdt.org/.
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Policy Post 8.19 Copyright 2002 Center for Democracy and Technology
