OpenIDEO - How might we design an accessible election experience for everyone? - Concepting

The Challenge

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How might we design an accessible election experience for everyone?

Inspiration 436 inspirations

Concepting 154 concepts

Applause 154 final concepts

Refinement 20 final concepts

Evaluation 20 final concepts

Winning Concepts Announced!

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Super Clerks

So what if you can not go out today? Inform a local super clerk, and he will come to pick up your vote.

Super Clerks is a concept based on the face to face interaction of voters who are not able to move out of their house, and mobile poll clerks who come to pick up their vote. It might sound like a time taking process, and why not take the time for such an important process!

Potential super clerks are young students who have the time and a mobile device to collect votes from their neighbors. They could team up or do this individually as they earn some pocket money.

The new trick or treat is vote or ?

How will this concept improve election accessibility for everyone?

People in hospitals, people who have physical obstacles to move out of their house, or just people who need to stay home with their sick kid can benefit from the super clerks service.

What kinds of resources – whether time, money, people, partnerships, technology or otherwise – will be needed to get this concept off the ground?

As mentioned before, students who want to earn some pocket money can be used as resources. The fee that a voter has to pay if he/she does not vote can be given to the super clerks.

Comments

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Shaun Rahimi

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February 29, 2012, 07:59AM

Do you guys feel like the respective government should be more involved with the voting process? I'm thinking that the government should fund a super clerk service, considering how poor voter turn out has been recently in the US. I added a similar concept yesterday utilizing the postal service for this purpose but now that Im reading your concept I feel like local governments could hire one day public volunteers every four years and utilize them as you describe. Putting them through a registration process similar to what notary public goes through could also ensure responsibility.

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Yannick Le Callet

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February 23, 2012, 04:33PM

I really like your idea of super clerks with mobile devices. It is particularly useful for populations who have physical disabilities or do not have access to the internet and cannot vote online.
Regarding the cost of this service, it could be offered free and as a public service for pre-identified populations. For example in your tax return, you might identify yourself as a person with difficulties to go voting. Then "super clerk" would be used for those populations with priority, and offered as a "public service". I believe that can really help increase the participation to ballots.
However, regarding who can be a "super clerk", I see that as a very important function which required a high level of responsibility with a profile and training that can be defined with strict rules and controls in order to insure they will not influence the vote.

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Cansu Akarsu's reply to Shaun Rahimi's comment

Cansu Akarsu

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February 23, 2012, 10:50PM

Thank you Yannick:) I would like to create a method (something like the app concept I suggested before) with does not need a training. However, you are right about the responsibility of the clerks, and it might be a bad idea to have 16-18 year olds take care of it.
As for the service, do you think it is too much to create a concept where even in case of an unexpected situation, such as your kid getting sick, you can inform a super clerk to stop by?

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Yannick Le Callet's reply to Shaun Rahimi's comment

Yannick Le Callet

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February 24, 2012, 12:14AM

For some specific situations (i.e if the person is sick and unable to get out of home at the last minute), there could be a telephone or internet hotline to ask for a Clerk to visit you at home (like an emergency doctor would do in case you are sick...)
In case this is justified, the service if free of course (public service)
;-)

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Amanda Forker

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February 21, 2012, 05:17PM

What is the "fee" for, if a voter doesn't vote? Why would the clerk come out then? There isn't a fee for voting, right?

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Cansu Akarsu's reply to Shaun Rahimi's comment

Cansu Akarsu

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February 21, 2012, 06:03PM

Hello Amanda, you might have seen http://bit.ly/xSSvby in the inspiration phase. Voting is compulsory in some countries (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_voting), which means that the people are given a fee penalty if they do not vote.

It is a good argument whether this proves that instead of paying a fee, people staying at home can pay super clerks, or not. Do you think financing such a service should be by the government?

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Vincent Cheng's reply to Shaun Rahimi's comment

Vincent Cheng

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February 21, 2012, 07:15PM

It seems that financing possibilities for this concept is partially a function of the voting system (compulsory vs. optional).

Another issue though, is how to handle the security/professionalism of the mobile voting process.

In the case of a primarily technology-based system (such as what I proposed here: http://www.openideo.com/open/voting/concepting/online-mobile-voting-increase-accessibility-for-all/ ), a lot of this will be designed into the device/online system.

Still, and even more so for a more analog-based system, mobile clerk training/certification will be key to alleviate concerns arising from having individual, independent voting clerks with limited oversight.

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Cansu Akarsu's reply to Shaun Rahimi's comment

Cansu Akarsu

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February 22, 2012, 10:02PM

Hello Vincent, whether we use high tech or lower tech solutions and embed the security in the mobile systems, a voter would need to be physically alone while voting. In that case, may be mobile 'closed booths' would help.

You are right that having individual voting clerks might create problems. It is better to have teams of young people. If the process is enriched with gamification using an easy mobile device interface and motivating young people to 'collect more votes,' may be there would not be a need for training.

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Martha McGill's reply to Shaun Rahimi's comment

Martha McGill

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February 23, 2012, 12:49AM

Many states allow the use of absentee ballots for individuals who are unable to get to the polls on election day. (Others allow it, but voters need to provide a reason for requesting one.) I like your idea of providing assistance--after all, those who make it to a regular polling place can ask for assistance from clerks as needed--but I do think it could get very expensive very quickly.

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Cansu Akarsu's reply to Shaun Rahimi's comment

Cansu Akarsu

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February 23, 2012, 10:43PM

Thanks Martha, the main reason I wanted to bring a clerk to one's home, is to make sure of that a person keeps his/her vote private. I know a friend in CPH who did the absentee voting and it all worked fine, but in some parts of the world, many families would be there to influence the votes of each other.

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Natalia Pachón

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February 23, 2012, 06:03PM

Hi Cansu, I head up with an investigation which might be of your interest, the government of the United Kingdom conducted a range of pilots of new voting systems, including a number of pilots of remote electronic voting (REV) systems. I read it from a paper but it's easily found on internet and has been adopted by many countries already.

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Natalia Pachón's reply to Shaun Rahimi's comment

Natalia Pachón

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February 23, 2012, 09:13PM

Continuing investigating I also found that in Canada they have developed laws which included a similar system: the article 243
permitted to vote at home at the request of the voter, where an officer
elections will be moved to assist them. You might have a look to see what are the constrains that they have and also what has been succesfull.

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Cansu Akarsu's reply to Shaun Rahimi's comment

Cansu Akarsu

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February 23, 2012, 10:40PM

Hello Natalia, thanks a lot for the input:) Do you have a link to the information? It would be great. I wonder if they faced any problems with that system, so that we do not make the same mistakes.

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Meena Kadri

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February 21, 2012, 05:10PM

Great that you are considering the need for privacy within this concept, Cansu. Looking forward to collaborative discussion and builds here.

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Cansu Akarsu's reply to Shaun Rahimi's comment

Cansu Akarsu

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February 22, 2012, 10:07PM

I wonder if using such a low tech 'closed booth' solution would actually work.. For sure the booth should be portable and low cost, but I need to develop a much more effective solution..

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Yannick Le Callet's reply to Shaun Rahimi's comment

Yannick Le Callet

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February 23, 2012, 04:44PM

I see an analogy with Micro-finance and a challenge there is in Banking on how to offer people with banking service in rural areas in Africa. Some Micro-finance institutions work with mobile portable devices with secured mobile connections. The Micro-finance Banker can visit farmers or local communities in secluded area, in order to make all type of banking transactions. A key is to create a human contact, to bring information to people, to educate on the benefits.

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