Getting the chance to take part in the voting process doesn’t come around too frequently. It is why when it does come around, it can sometimes be a difficult process–and I’m not talking about making a decision on which candidate to support. The topic of voting machine usability is often talked about and even the UPA has attempted to take on that challenge. But an even greater part of the voting experience exists in how a voting location is structured and presented and how polling volunteers assist voters.
For almost all major elections since I became legal to vote I have voted at a different voting location. That in itself can be a challenging time, between updating my voter registration, to finding the voting location and hoping that I’m on the books. Since the time to vote comes around infrequently voters have little chance to truly become familiar with the process, especially for someone like myself where locations and type of voting machines are always changing. One can only put his faith in proper signage and the kind people who give their time to volunteer to help voters, vote.
Unfortunately, it always seems to go awry. Places such as school gyms are retrofitted to act as voting stations, multiple tables to check in, no one ever truly being sure of where you need to go. And in my case, when looking for assistance, being greeted with words such as:
Oh, here we go again. Another one who doesn’t know.
It is not surprising that often people simply choose to skip the entire process. This is no small feat to fix the problem, yet I’m not sure anyone has really put a concerted effort into actually planning and ultimately implementing changes. The pinnacle of voting location wayfinding seems to only be, “Vote Here” signs. As appreciative everyone is for the volunteers, they are lacking in the proper training to assist voters.
But, as confusing as voting can be sometimes, this is one of the only poor experiences I would say people should trudge through.
02.05.08 — Politics, User Experience
On today’s semi-mandatory day off in America, Labor Day, I thought it would be nice to take a look at that nice New York Times graph comparing the number of mandatory days off in many of the top industrialized countries.
No surprise here, us Americans seem to think even a little mandatory paid time off is too much. Yes, that’s right even today–the day to honor us hard working Americans is not truly mandatory. So stuff another hot dog down your throat and flip on the TV cause there’s nothing to worry about.
09.03.07 — Culture, Politics
The Dean campaign is what got me into seriously following politics as opposed to just watching the headlines and never really scratching the surface of where our country is going. When I first saw how Howard Dean was taking politics in a different direction, and using what is considered to be an unconventional political tool–the Internet–I was ultimately curious. Mainly due to that I am avidly interested in technology and beginning to question where we as Americans fit into deciding our government.
Joe Trippi, Dean’s campaign manager, has written an excellent book–The Revolution Will Not Be Televised–depicting the beginning of the revolution of the people taking back the government and using the Internet to do it.
I have always felt that as a person I could have no real affect on the people who make our policies. But Joe Trippi’s book speaks of the revolution which has already started, the people becoming a major part of calling the shots and taking back what once was ours, the government.
From this point on, there will be a new special interest group to reckon with–the American people. And this special interest group has a tool–the Internet–more powerful than broadcast politics…
The book is not liberal propaganda, it’s barely even about the parties. It’s about how the people have lost their voice in our political system. We are constantly fed “news” from the broadcast and cable stations, supposedly telling us the facts. But where is the interaction, how do we get involved and become heard? As I’ve stated earlier the Internet is that solution, the voices are heard and actually make a difference.
After reading Trippi’s book it makes me wish I had been more involved, but at the least I can say that the Dean Machine sparked my interest in politics and that it is possible even as an average person to have my voice mean something.
At a time when everyone says things have changed since September 11th, I’ll say I agree. We as American citizens will no longer let our voices fall victim to the special interests who now dictate our government policies.
This is nothing new, even our forefather Thomas Jefferson spoke of it:
A little rebellion is a good thing. God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. … What country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance.
We are at a crossroads in the way our government works and as Joe Trippi stated we are living in the Empowerment Age.
08.21.04 — Books, Politics