Election Administration, Electoral Standards, and the Internet By Steven Clift

Election Administration, Electoral Standards,

and the InternetBy Steven Clift

http://www.publicus.net

http://www.dowire.org

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Introduction

• Democracies Online – E-democracy research and speeches across 25

countries: http://publicus.net– Connects over 2700 people across 85 countries via e-

newsletter/blog: http://dowire.org

• E-Democracy.Org– World’s first election information website in 1994– Most comprehensive “one stop” experience before

disintermediation– Direct experience informs this presentation

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Outline

• Fundamental Questions

• New Internet-era Electoral Standards?

• Analysis and Recommendations– Providing information online/best practices– Establishing online legal environment– Monitoring Internet media– Ensuring technological access

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Fundamental Questions

• What is so important about the potential use of the Internet/ICTs that their use will be required by new electoral standards in order to hold “free and fair” elections?

• Based on existing electoral standards, what should be online to promote “free and fair” elections now?

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Proposed Internet-era Standards

• All information (legally public) – produced, compiled, disseminated

or disclosed to implement electoral standards

– must be publicly accessible on the Internet

– in a standard, authoritative format.

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Proposed Internet-era Standards

• Voter privacy must be established to cover all voter actions online – seeking information about political

candidates and issues

– communicating with family, friends and members of private associations about elections or governance

– and voting• Freedom of electronic assembly concept

Information:Analysis and Recommendations

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Provision of Information

• Internet is available “any time, anywhere”

• EMBs (and others) provide great variations in terms of quality

• Reality of “wired”, less “wired” countries – the more wired, the more “must” be online

• Progression of Internet/ICT use by EMBs should be defined and benchmarked

• Opportunity for online community of practice among EMB staff

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Information – Must

• Required of all countries regardless of “wired” status:

– Content demonstrating electoral standards are in action

– Accurate and authoritative content

– Multilingual content (as required by local law)

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Information – Should/Must

• Should be online items becomes “must” when over 50% of the population is online

– Candidate and party links - official registry of sites

– Voter registration - including e-verification of electoral roll status, change of address

– Campaign finance reporting and disclosure systems

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Information – Should/Must

• More should/must content recommendations

– Voter outreach and education programs

– Services and searches – often geographically based

– Campaign regulation information and notifications – including e-alerts

Example:Online Voter Education in South

Korea

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Music Videos from Kids

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Accessibility:Analysis and Recommendations

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Accessibility - Should/Must

• People with disabilities – comply with e-government accessibility policies

• Speakers of minority languages

• Users of different Internet interfaces – database-driven sites adaptable to computer, iTV, PDA, mobile formats

• Users without computer access – reach through intermediary organizations via remote printing, CD-ROM, radio satellite, mobile data

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Access examples• Satellite radio - Data ports for one-way content delivery

– First Voice International has 5% of WorldSpace capacity– Satellite radios have USB ports that connect to computers

Online Legal Environment:Analysis and Recommendations

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Legal Environment Context

• In all countries, moving from analysis and proposals to approval of new laws and/or rules has been extremely difficult

• Cornerstone of complexity – Individuals and unregulated groups can take actions online that appear or are in reality as powerful/influential as those of regulated political groups

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Online Legal Environment

• Identify and re-evaluate campaign regulatory laws in light of Internet – when “normal” online activity of individuals might be

illegal/regulated if lumped in with regulated groups– Freedom of expression, right of secure electronic

assembly

• Establish privacy policies– for EMBs– registry of policies of regulated groups– online media accepting online political ads,

selling/providing “information seeking” information on user to candidates/government – need new political privacy electoral standard

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Online Legal Environment

• Provide defamation and libel guides– Should digital “street corner” conversations be treated

on par with statements on television or newspapers? UN report on exposure to criminal libel

• Right reply– Internet allows less litigious “right of reply,” should it be

a right or obligation to provide during election periods?

• Additional issues– Right to access, use and share political information– Anonymous speech

Online Media Monitoring

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Online Media Monitoring

• As reach of online content grows in a nation, the reasons to independently monitor mass media will extend to the Internet

– Build from academic online content analysis techniques– Monitor surface content of “top 100 web sites” – Research political web trends, stay on top of democracy

building and denying techniques– Monitor government web sites including portals and

inappropriate use of online government resources to support incumbents

– Encourage watchdog groups, including “domestic” and international Internet freedom groups, to aid Internet and elections policy development

Technology:Analysis and Recommendations

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Technological Access

• E-mail for EMB staff is step one

• Wireless– HF Radio E-mail (slow)– Wi-Fi, WiMax options– Satellite two-way (expensive)– Mobile/GPRS

• Localized Content Access – CD-Rom delivery, One-way satellite radio

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Access examples

• Ndiyo – Four terminals using one computer connected to Internet: http://www.ndiyo.org– Pilot in Bangladesh connected by GPRS (GSM mobile

phone)

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Access examples

• HF Radio E-mail (Shortwave ~300 Baud, VHF/UHF to 9600, like first modems)

– Solomon Islands People First Network connects island e-mail terminals cost effectively via e-mail over radio (not expensive satellite): http://www.peoplefirst.net.sb

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Open Source Tools

• Cost-effectiveness through collaborative open source initiatives. Some ideas:

– Multi-lingual CMS (content management system) for developing non-partisan online and print voter guides

• Distributed content input via the web from local EMB offices, candidates, parties, universities, NGOs, and others

• Controlled editing of source materials for broad use and distribution

• Project coordination

– Handheld field operation software for electronic voter registration, voter roll verification

– Mobile SMS reporting of election law violations

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Online Community of Practice

• Connecting EMB staff with Internet content and IT responsibilities via e-mail/web network

– Connect EMB staff in established democracies with those in developing democracies for peer-to-peer exchange

– Opportunity for U.S. state election office staff to share knowledge internationally at low cost

– Just-in-time access to often undocumented knowledge

Questions?

Election Administration, Electoral Standards and the Internet

Copyright 2006, Steven Clift, Publicus.Net

Contact

• To continue this discussion or explore solutions, contact Steven Clift at:

clift@publicus.net

+1-612-822-8667

http://www.publicus.net

http://www.dowire.org