The Canvass: States and Election Reform
A Newsletter for Legislatures
(Full Newsletter in PDF) (Engaging State Legislatures in Election Reform Homepage)
Update On The Voting Information Project
by Doug Chapin, Director, electionline.org
CANVASS readers should ask their state election offices about participation in a new partnership between election officials, Pew’s Make Voting Work, the JEHT Foundation and Google, Inc. on an exciting new effort to put voting information in the hands of voters nationwide.
The 2008 election is already drawing historic levels of interest; by November, polling places nationwide are likely to see a huge wave of voters – many first-time voters will have questions about how to navigate the process. Answering questions, therefore, will be a key priority for election officials this year.
The Voting Information Project (VIP) seeks to meet those needs by building on the foundational principle that an effective democracy needs a well-informed electorate. Unfortunately, findings from previous years indicate that voters often struggle to get answers to three basic questions:
• Where do I vote?
• What's on the ballot?
• How do I register or find out if I'm registered?
Much of this information is available at the state and local level on election management systems and voter databases. Election officials use this information to manage the registration of new voters, select polling locations, and prepare ballots for the millions of voters who go to the polls each year.
However, the data are not consistently available to primary information providers, such as newspapers, civic organizations and other reference sources. Often, the data are also not readily accessible to the millions of Americans who rely on search engines to look for government information online.
VIP has worked with state election officials to develop and implement a technical standard, known as an "open format," by which state and local election officials can more efficiently disseminate voting information. Through this open format, every address in America can be linked to its polling place. And with this link, voters will be able to gain access to the full range of voting information, including:
• Links to information about voter registration;
• Polling place address, directions and accessibility;
• Procedures governing voting, e.g. identification requirements;
• Type of voting equipment;
• Official information about candidates and issues on the ballot; and
• Polling place alternatives, such as absentee voting, early voting and vote centers.
More details – including the availability of funds to assist states with creating VIP feeds - are available at the VIP website at http://votinginfoproject.org |
