e Petition Paper Final

7/30/2019 e Petition Paper Final

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By: Elana Goldstein, Daniel Clark, Aman Jain & Wayne Moses Burke

Government Sponsored

E-Peo:A Guide for Development

and Implementation


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Itodco: Oeiew o E-Peo .................................1

Ke Deciio i E-Peo Impemeto.......................2

Determining Engagement Goals.................................

2

ConnecngE-PeonstoDecision-Making .............. 4

ManagingtheCizen-GovernmentInteracon........ 6

TechnicalConsideraons.............................................7

Evaluaon ...................................................................10

Case Study: We the People United States......................12

Case Study: Queensland, Australia ....................................20

Case Study: Bristol, England................................................26

Conclusion .............................................................................33

TablE Of COnTEnTsAmericaSpeaks andE-Peoig

AmericaSpeaksworkone-peonsemerges

outofourmissiontoengagecizensinthe

decision-makingthatimpactstheirlives.

E-peonsoeranewmeansforgovernments

toinvolvecizensintheformaldecision-makingprocess,andifimplementedcorrectly,

e-peonscanimproveparcipaonand

increasegovernmenttransparency.Peoning,

andelectronicpeoningmorespecically,

embodiesmanyoftheengagementprinciples

aroundwhichAmericaSpeaksstructuresits

work.Westrivetoengagediverseaudiences,

createlinksbetweencizensanddecision-

makers,anddevelopclearcizenpriories,all

ofwhichcanbeachievedthroughasuccessful

e-peonprocess.

Webelievethate-peonsoeranexcing

opportunityforgovernmentstoengagecizens

inaproducvedialogueaboutpolicy-making

andhavegreatpotenaltostrengthenthe

conneconbetweencizenandgovernment,

especiallyonthelocallevel.

ackowedgemet

The creaon of this guide would not have

been possible without the nancial support

of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. We would

also like to thank Professor Tina Nabatchi of

Syracuse University and Ma Leighninger of

the Deliberave Democracy Consorum. Both

provided essenal insights that strengthened

and rened the nal product. The paper would

not have been possible without the inial work

of David Stern, who laid the groundwork for the

guides design, and Steve Brigham, who providedguidance throughout the enre process.

Finally, we would like to thank the government

representaves from Bristol, Queensland, and

the White House who made themselves available

and were gracious with their me and experse.

Copyright2013,AmericaSpeaks


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1

Oeiew o E-PeoTherighttomakeformalrequeststoanauthoritythroughapeonhasbeenastapleofcizengovernmentinteraconsincetheearly1400s,whenthepracceofgovernmentpeoningbecamewidespreadunderKingHenryIVofEngland.1TheEnglishpracceofpeoningmadeitswaytoAmericawiththerstcolonists.IntheUnitedStates,theright

topeongovernmentcanbefoundintheFirstAmendmenttotheU.S.Constuon,whichstatesthatthepeoplehavearighttopeontheGovernmentforaredressofgrievances.Interesngly,peoningduringcolonialmesrequiredgovernmenthearingandresponse,butthisoriginaltheoryandpracceofpeoningfounderedwhenabolionistsoodedCongresswithpeonsduringthedebatesoverslavery.Asaresult,therighttopeonwascollapsedintotherightoffreespeechandexpressionadenionalnarrowingwhichpersiststotheday.2Assuch,today,Americanshavearighttopeon,butnotarighttoagovernmentresponse.

Inthemodernera,manygovernmentshavebegunimplemennge-peonprocessesthroughgovernment

websites.E-peoning,shortforelectronicpeoning,hasbecomemorepopularasaccesstotheInternethasgrownandmorecizenshavebecomeusedtointeracnginonlinespaces.Whileanelectronicpeonismostsimplydenedasanypeonsubmiedelectronically,thispaperusesthetermtorefertosystemsthatdealwithpeonsthatarepostedthroughagovernmentwebsiteandallowforindividualelectronicsignatures.3

Inthe1990s,theriseoftheInternetspurredthegrowthofe-democracytools,whichpromisedtomakedemocracparcipaonmoreconvenient,accessible,andinteracve.Peonswerealogicalplacefore-democracyexperimentaonbecauseoftheirlonghistoryandpublicacceptance.Inthelate

1990s,NapierUniversitysInternaonalTeledemocracyCentre,nowpartoftheCentreforSocialInformacs,begantoworkwiththeScoshParliamenttodeveloptherstgovernment-sponsorede-peonsystem.NapierUniversitysworkwiththeScoshParliamentproducede-pettoner,aplaormthatwasusedtopilote-peonprogramsthroughouttheUnitedKingdom.

E-Petitions as a Participatory ToolE-peonshavethepotenaltoenablegreatercizenparcipaoningovernmentdecision-makingthroughincreasedcizeninteraconwithgovernment.However,thisoutcomeisbynomeansguaranteed.Likemanyotherparcipatory

pracces,anunsuccessfule-peonprocesscanalienatecizenusers,becomehijackedbylargeinterestgroups,andunderminethelegimacyofgovernmentdecision-makingthroughperceponsofmisspentgovernmentmeandresources.4Yet,thesepotenalproblemscanbemanagedbydevelopingane-peonprocessthatcreatesgenuineengagement.

Designingaparcipatoryinteraconbetweencizensandagovernmentrequiresthate-peonimplementersconsiderthetypeofparcipatoryenvironmenttheyaretryingtocreate.Ifpeonerssignane-peon,butneverreceivearesponseoranyotherkindoffollow-oninteracon,howtruly

parcipatoryisthee-peon?Howisthecizenpeoner

moredemocracallyengagedthroughtheactofsigning?

Thisexampleisnotmeanttodegradethepeon-signing

process,buttohighlightthatasuccessfule-peonprocess

shouldcreateadeepersenseofdemocracengagement.

Onewaytocreatethatengagementisthroughsubstanve

andmelypeonresponses.However,peonresponsesarenottheonlykindofengagementthatagovernmentcan

provide.Forexample,ifthee-peonprocessencourages

peonerstoengagewithelectedrepresentavesore-peon

administrators,suchasclerks,cizenpeonersmaydevelop

agreaterunderstandingofthepolicalprocess,whichmay

enablepeonerstobecomemoreeecveparcipatory

actors.5Creangane-peonprocessthatengagescizen

peonersinthiswaycanstrengthenthelegimacyofthe

governingbodyandthepoliciesthatitcreates.

Whilee-peonscanbeausefulmeansforsubstanvecizen

parcipaon,theyaremostsuccessfulwhenusedaspart

ofalargerparcipatoryexercise.Addionalpathwaysfor

cizenengagement,suchastransparentmeengprocessesandonlinesurveys,canimprovetheimpactofe-peon

processesbyprovidingnewwaysforcizenstondoutabout

theworkofgovernmentandengagewithelectedocials.The

governmentineachofthreecasestudiesconsideredinthis

guideimplementedane-peonprocessaspartofalarger

e-democracyorparcipatoryproject.

Purpose of tis GuideThispaperisintendedtoserveasaguideforpublicmanagers

whoareinterestedinexploringe-peonimplementaonin

theircommunies.Theguideisdividedintovesecons:a

generaloverviewofe-peoning,anexploraonofthekey

decisionareasine-peonimplementaon,afederallevelcase

study,astatelevelcasestudy,andalocallevelcasestudy.

Thediscussionofkeydecisionareasforimplementaon

focusesonvetopics:goalseng,connecnge-peoningto

decision-making,managingtheinteraconbetweencizens

andgovernmentinthee-peonprocess,determining

theappropriatetechnologyfore-peonimplementaon,

andevaluange-peonprocesses.Recommendaonson

e-peonimplementaonwithinthesekeydecisionareasare

oered.

Inaneorttoprovideawideswathofe-peonmodels,our

casestudieseachlookatadierentlevelofgovernmentand

engagementcontext.ThefederalcasestudyexaminestheWhiteHousesWethePeoplee-peonplaorm.Whilethe

plaormissllrelavelynew(itbeganin2011),itprovides

anopportunitytoexplorebothexecuve-sidepeoningand

peoningintheU.S.context.Ourstatelevelcaseconsiders

Queensland,Australiase-peonplaorm.Queenslandisan

interesngcaseinthatitemergedasaresultofpolicalturmoil

anddoesnothaveasignaturethreshold,despitethelarge

populaonitserves.Onthelocallevel,weexplorethecityof

Bristol,inEngland,whichwasapioneerinlocalgovernment

e-peoningandusesamodelthatmaybeusefulforlocalies

intheUnitedStates.


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2

Ke Deciio i E-Peo Impemeto

Leaderswhoimplemente-peonsfaceacoresetofdecisionsthatdeterminethecourseanddireconoftheir

systems.Thedecisionareasdiscussedbelowareintended

togiveprospecvee-peonimplementersasenseofthe

choicestheywillface,aswellasthepotenaloutcomes

associatedwithcertaindecisions.Thisseconisdividedinto

adiscussionofvedisnctquesons:

Wht e o eggemet go o e-peo?

How wi e-peo coect to deciio-mkig?

How wi the cie-goemet iteco e mged?

Wht e the techic me o mt coide?

How wi the otcome o o e-peo tem e meed?

Whilethesequesonsareapplicabletoalle-peon

systemimplementaons,theorderinwhichtheyare

addressedmayvary.Eache-peonsystemisshaped

byitsgovernmentcontextandengagementculture.No

twoe-peonprocesseswillbeidencal,andthese

quesonsshouldbeconsideredasasuggesve,ratherthan

prescripve,guide.

What Are Your Engagement

Go?

Answeringthisquesonwillhelpyoushapethestructure

oftheengagementprocessandwillimpacteverythingfrom

resourceallocaontoprogramadversing.Itishelpfulto

idenfywhatengagementneedsthegovernmententy

faces,andhow,ifatall,ane-peonsystemmayaddress

thoseneeds.Putsimply,whye-peons?

Ourresearchindicatesgovernmentsembracee-peons

topursueavarietyofgoals.However,ineachcase,the

overarchingobjecveistodevelopagreaterrelaonship

withcizens.Othergoalsmayinclude:

CrEaTE a CITIzEn fEEDbaCK lOOP.Manygovernmentsarelookingforawaytodeveloptwo-waymodesofcommunicaon

withcizens.E-peonsallowcizenstosharetheirviews,

whilealsoallowingthegovernmenttorespondand,atleast

potenally,beginamoreparcipatorydialoguearoundpolicy-

making.6

EnablE CITIzEn buyIn.Whencizensareformallyinvolvedin

governmentdecision-making,theyaremorelikelytoacceptits

outcomes.AmericaSpeakstownmeengworkshowsthateven

whenaparcipantdisagreeswiththeoutcomeofaprocess,theparcipantismorelikelytoaccepttheoutcomeiftheyfeelthat

theirvoicehasbeenheardinthedecision-makingprocess. 7

TraCK IssuE InTErEsT GEOGraPHICally.E-peonsallow

thegovernmenttotrackpeonsubmissionandsignageby

geographiclocaon,meaningthatinterestinissuescanbe

mappedgeographicallyandmanagedaccordingly.

ManaGE HIGHly POlarIzED IssuEs.Thee-peonprocess

createsasafespacefordierencestobeairedbycreang

amechanismthroughwhichallsidesofanissuecangather

support.Becauseoftheterms-of-userequirementsthatareput

inplace,governmentscanensurethatpeonsuseaciviltone.

Addionally,e-peonsallowthegovernmententytoexplain

itsreasoningforpolicyposionstothosewhoaremostengaged

onanissue.

sPEaK DIrECTly TO THE PublIC.Usingane-peonprocess

allowsgovernmentstoresponddirectlytothoseconcerned

aboutanissuewithouthavingtousethemediaasan

intermediary.

IDEnTIfy COMMunITIEs Of suPPOrT fOr IssuEs.

E-peonsenablethegoverningbodytoidenfycommunies

ofsupportforissuesandallowforthecreaonofaconnuing

dialoguewithsupportersofthoseissues.

sTrEaMlInE ExIsTInG PETITIOn PrOCEssEs.While

e-peonsdonotreplaceexisngpaperpeonprocesses,


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3

theyencouragepeonsigningtooccurinamoretransparent,responsive,andstreamlinedprocess.Forexample,Queensland,

Australia,hasuseditse-peonplaormasahubforbothpaper

andelectronicpeons.Doingsohasbroughttransparencyto

thepaperpeonprocessthroughtheonlineposngofpaper

peonresponses.8

InCrEasE PublIC unDErsTanDInG Of GOvErnMEnT

PrOCEss. Thee-peonprocesscanprovidecizensan

opportunitytogetacloserlookathowtheirgovernmentworks

andeducatethemaboutthekindsofissuesthegovernmentworkson.

EsTablIsH CulTurE Of CITIzEn InvOlvEMEnT. Byoering

amechanismforcizenviews,governmentswhosponsor

substanvee-peonprocessessendamessagethattheyare

interestedinhavingcizensshapethegovernmentagenda.

EnGaGE aCrOss PHysICal barrIErs.Forcommunies

thatcoveralargegeographicarea,e-democracytoolssuchas

e-peonscanhelpbridgephysicalbarriersandengagecizens

whomaynotliveclosetogovernment.Arecentstudysuggests

thatU.S.statecapitalsthatareremovedfrommajorpopulaon

centersmaycontributetoperceponsofcorrupon.9Insuch

cases,e-democracymechanismsareusefultoolsforengaging

cizensintheworkofgovernmentdespitegeographicdistance.

Whendevelopingyourgoals,consideriftheycanbe

accomplishedthroughane-peonsystemaloneorif

theywillbebeerreachedthroughalargere-democracy

program.Forexample,iftheprimarygoalistoincreasepublicunderstandingofgovernmentdecision-making,

ane-peonsystemalonemaybeinsucient.The

combinaonofane-peonsystem,webcastsofpublic

meengs,andmoreaccessibledescriponsofthedecision-

makingprocessmightbeermeetthisgoal.Eachofthe

casesconsideredinthisguideimplementede-peon

systemsaspartoflargerparcipatoryplansorprojects.

Establishinggoalswillhelpdeterminethestructureof,andoutreachstrategyfor,thee-peonsystem.Inaddion

to sengengagement-orientedgoals,itisimportantto

recognizetheimpactthatsuchaprojectwillhaveonthe

governingbodyitself.Forexample,whatkindsofresources

canbecommiedtotheproject?Whattypeofrelaonship

doesthegovernmentwanttohavewiththepublic?These

goalswillguideyourdecision-makinggoingforward.

Itmayalsobeusefultopilotane-peonsystemfora

periodofmeasawayofclarifyingandreningwhatengagement goalswillreallymaerforyourjurisdicon.

Manyoftheexisnge-peonplaormsbeganastrial

programs,whichwerethenmodiedtobestsuitthe

communitysneeds.InthecaseofBristol,England,a

trialperiodhelpededucatethecommunityandthe

electedocialsinthee-peonprocessandgavethe

cityanopportunitytomodifytheplaormsfeaturesasit

developed.10Itisalsoimportanttoconsiderotherfactors

thatmayinuenceyourdecisionsinthisarena:Arethere

pre-exisngengagementacvieswithwhiche-peonsshouldbeintegrated?Isthereahistoryofnegave

relaonshipsbetweenthegovernmentandcertaingroups?

Aretherecommunityneeds(e.g.languagetranslaon)that

needtobeaddressedforthee-peonprogramtoreachits

goals?

We recommend the use of a trial period

to test the technical platform itself and

the community response to it, and to help

educate decision-makers about the value of

e-petition systems.


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4

How Wi E-Petitio Coect

to Deciio-Mkig?

Thestructureofe-peonprocessesmaers.Itisimportant

todeterminehowe-peonswillconnectwithformal

decision-making,becausethenatureofthatconneconwill

determinethevalueofthee-peonsystemtocizensand

thegoverningbody.Howthesystemconnectstodecision-

makingisheavilydependentonthebranchofgovernment

implemennge-peons.

Mgemet d Diemio o

E-Peo

Fore-peonsystemsthatresidewithintheexecuve

branch,itisnecessarytodeterminewhomcizensare

abletopeonandfromwhomtheycanexpecttoreceive

responses.Canpeonsonlybedirectedtowardthemayor,

orcantheyalsobedirectedtowardindividualdepartment

oragencyheads?Whoisresponsibleforrespondingto

thepeon?Ifallpeonsaresubmiedtothechief

execuve,whodirectsthepeontothecorrectresponderordecideswhoisbestsuitedtorespondtoapeon?Who

managesthee-peonprocess?InthecaseoftheWhite

Housee-peonplaorm,WethePeople,ateamofpolicy

advisorsmeetstodeterminewhoisbestsuitedtorespond

toaspecicpeon.Whilethepeonsmaybedirectedat

thePresident,herarelyanswersthemdirectly.11

Similarissuesariseforthelegislavebranch.Are

peonssubmiedtotheenrecouncilortoindividual

councilors?Theanswermaydependonwhetherthe

systemisbeingmanagedbythecouncilclerkorindividual

councilorsoces.Thelegislavebranchhasanaddional

consideraonindeterminingtheformofanocial

peonresponse.Doesthecouncilguaranteepeoners

adiscussionoftheissue?Dopeonersreceiveawrien

statementfromaspeciccouncilororanoceofwhen

aoordebateontheissuewillbeheld?Thesetypesof

quesonsneedtobeaddressedtodeterminewhatcizen

peonerscanexpectfromthee-peonprocess.For

example,inQueensland,theClerkofParliamentoversees

bothpaperandelectronicpeonsubmissionandisalso

responsibleforensuringthatthegovernmentresponseis

issuedandmadeavailabletothepublic.12

Signature Threshold

Inaddiontodeterminingarealiscresponseme,

e-peonadministratorsmaychoosetoestablisha

signaturethresholdforsuccessfulpeons.Variousfactorsshouldbeconsideredwhenselecngathresholdnumber.

Whathumanresourceconstraintswillthee-peonsystem

have?Ifthethresholdforsignaturesisverylowandmany

peonsaresuccessful,manyhoursofstamewillbeneeded

toshepherdthee-peonsthroughthegovernment.

Whatisthesizeofthepopulaonthatthegovernmentserves?If

acityhas400,000residents,thena100,000-signaturethreshold

wouldbetoohighforanypeonstosucceed.

Isthereathresholdforexisngpaperpeonprocesses?You

maywanttoconsiderusingthesamenumberforpaperand

e-peonstoensurethatthosewhouseonemediumarenot

negavelyimpacted.

Thethresholdcanbeexible.Thesignaturethresholdislikely

tochangeasthesystemgrowsanddevelops.Aslongasitis

publiclystatedthatthethresholdnumbermaychange,itis

When using a signature threshold, we

recommend choosing a number that

more accurately represents the politically

engaged portion of the population. While

the exact number will vary depending on the

community, it may be useful to begin with

5-10% of active voters.


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5

acceptabletomodifythenumberastheneedsofthee-peon

systemchange.InthecaseofWethePeople,theWhiteHouse

e-peonplaorm,thethresholdhaschangeddramacally,

goingfrom5,000to25,000to100,000.Asthee-peonplaormgainedusers,thethresholdwasraisedtoensurethat

onlythemostpopularpeonsweresuccessful.However,the

changestothesignaturethresholdwerecricizedasliming

cizenaccess.

Thesignaturethresholdwillvarydependingonthecommunity

inwhichane-peonsystemisimplemented.Whathas

workedforonecommunitymaynotworkforanother.

Examplesofhowothergovernmentshavenavigatedthese

issuesareexploredinthecasestudiesthatfollow.

Oci repoe

Thoseimplemennge-peons,eitherintheexecuveor

legislavebranch,willhavetodeterminewhatformtheocial

responsewilltake,howtheresponsewillbeissued,andan

appropriatemeframefortheresponse.Sengameframe

foraguaranteedresponseisanimportantcomponentofthe

e-peonprocessandshouldnotbeoverlooked.Centraltothe

premiseofe-peonsisthenoonthatmelygovernment

responsedemonstratesrespectforcizens,andthusimproves

thecredibilityofthee-peonsystem.Ifthee-peonsite

makesastatedguaranteethataresponsewillbeissuedwithin

60days,afailuretodosowillunderminethevalidityofthe

governmentresponseandthetrustworthinessofthesystem

atlarge.Somegovernmentsmaybetemptedtoavoidthis

issuebynotsengaguaranteedresponseme,whichis

alsoproblemac.Ifpeonersarenotguaranteedamely

response,theymayfeelthatthee-peonsystemisnota

seriousaempttocommunicatewithcizensandunderstand

theirconcerns.Forinstance,theWhiteHousedoesnothave

aresponsemeguarantee,andithasreceivedcricismforitsunmelyresponsestoe-peons,whichmaytakemany

months.13

Edcg Deciio-Mke

Itisalsoimportantthatthedecision-makersorelectedocials

onthereceivingendofthee-peonsystemareeducatedaboutthepeonsystemandhowitworks.Ifocialsare

engagedwiththee-peonprocess,theyaremorelikelyto

takepeonsseriouslyandappreciatethevalueofcizen

views.Insomecases,suchasinBristol,electedocialsare

encouragedtousethee-peonsystemthemselvesasa

meanstoorganizeandenergizethepublicaroundtheirpolicy

ideas.Doingsoencouragesgrassrootsorganizingamong

electedocialsandpromotesgreaterengagementbetween

electedocialsandthepublic. 14

As such, we recommend that e-petition

system administrators avoid making frequent

changes to the signature threshold and supply

justification for any changes made to the

signature threshold.

Even if elected officials are not formally

encouraged to use the e-petition system, we

recommend that decision-makers receive

a thorough introduction to the platform

to encourage its use and to help spread

institutional acceptance of the platform.

We recommend that e-petition systems utilize

some form of response time guarantee. The

appropriate time will vary across petition

systems and may be dependent on the size of the

population, the number of petitions received,

and the staff time available for managing the

e-petition system. The time guarantee will

provide a sense of accountability for citizen

petitioners, while also creating a petition

response structure that treats all e-petitions

equally.


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6

How Wi The Citie-

Government Interaction Be

Mged?Cizensparcipateinane-peonsystembecausethey

areinterestedinexpressingtheirviewsandpotenally

impacnggovernmentdecision-making.Assuch,itis

importantforthegovernmentsponsortosetrealisc

expectaonsamongcizenpeonersandaccurately

representthee-peonprocessandoutcomes.Although

notintendedtobeexhausve,thelistbelowincludesthe

mostcommonwaysgovernmentshavecommunicatedwhat

cizenscanexpectthroughthee-peonsystemstheyuse:

fOrMal DEsCrIPTIOn Of EPETITIOn PrOCEss anD

GOvErnMEnT GuaranTEEs.Mostpeonerswillform

baselineexpectaonsfromthedescriponoftheprocessthat

thesponsoringgovernmentprovidesonthee-peonwebsite.

Thisincludesanyguaranteesaboutmelyresponse,manner

ofresponse,aswellasanyformalsubmissionrequirements

andprocedures.Ifthesefundamentaldescriponsareclear,

realisc,andconsistent,thepeonerwillhaveabeersense

ofwhattheyshouldexpectfromtheire-peonexperience.

However,iftheseguaranteesarenotmet,peonerfaithin

thesystemislikelytobeundermined.

ClEar anD aCCEssIblE TErMs Of usE anD PrIvaCy

POlICIEs. Inaddiontoformalproceduralrules,the

e-peonplaormtermsofuseandprivacypolicyshould

beeasytounderstandandaccessiblefrommulple

pointsonthewebsite.E-peonssomemesrequirethat

signatoriesprovideinformaonaboutthemselves,soit

isimportanttoclearlystatewhohasaccesstopersonal

informaon,whattheinformaonwillbeusedfor,andwhat

willhappentotheinformaoninthefuture.

aDvErTIsInG THE EPETITIOn PlaTfOrM.Many

e-peonplaormsareadversedtogeneratecommunity

interestandinvolvement.Whileadversingcanbeausefulwaytospreadthewordaboutthesystem,itisimportant

tomakesurethattheexpectaonsbeingconveyedare

realisc.Forexample,ataglinelikeShareyouropinion

maybemorerealiscthanChangeyourgovernment.As

theplaormages,therearelikelytobesomesuccessful

peonsthatdoimpactpolicy.Whenadversingthese

successfulpeons,donotimplythatallpeonsarelikely

toinuencedecision-makinginasimilarway.Forexample,

thetaglinefortheWhiteHousesWethePeopleplaormisYourvoiceinourgovernment,whichsuggeststhat

theplaormisamechanismforcizenagency,butnot

necessarilyimpact.15

We recommend that your e-petition system

create an easy-to-understand formal process.

These formal rules should be available on the

site and should be accompanied by some sort of

step-by-step guide or informational content piecethat outlines the process of creating a petition,

signing a petition, and what petitioners can

expect from the e-petition process. Important site

rules or restrictions should also be included. This

information can be presented through multiple

media, including downloadable guides, video

tutorials, or infographics, among others.

We recommend that governments advertise the

site, especially when launched, through formal

means, such as press releases, social media

platforms, and government websites. As the

e-petition system develops, it is likely to startadvertising itself through the social sharing of

petitions. Most petition systems place the burden

of promoting individual petitions on their creators,

thus enabling promotion of the system through

participant word of mouth.


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7

lEvEraGInG MEDIa COvEraGE Of THE PlaTfOrM. The

mediaislikelytocoverthereleaseoftheplaorm,aswell

asinteresngorcontroversialpeons.Whileyoucannot

controlmediacoverageoftheplaorm,itcanbeleveraged

tohelpspreadnewsaboutthesystemandtohighlight

itscapabilies.Forexample,aparcularlycontroversial

peoninBristolaboutthegraarstBanksydrewalot

ofmediaaenontoBristolse-peonplaorm.Bristol

seizedtheopportunitytoadversethesiteandresponded

byfeaturingthecontroversialpeonandengagingwiththe

mediaabouttheplaorm.16

usEr ExPErIEnCE On sITE.Theinteraconbetween

cizensandgovernmentisalsomoderatedthrough

theuserexperienceonthesiteitself.Makingtheuser

interfacesimpleandnavigable,aswellasprovidingcontact

informaon,canmakethetransiontoe-peoning

simplerformanycizens.WethePeople,theWhiteHouse

e-peonplaorm,usesvideotutorialsandgraphicsto

helpguidepeoplethroughthesite.Inaddion,thesites

searchfunconalityandpeoncategorizaonmakeit

easytonavigatethroughexisngpeonsandtondnew

peons.

What Are The Technical

Mtte yo Mt Coide?

Technologicaldecisionsarecoretoanye-peonsystem.

Whileeachgovernmentstechnicalneedsandrequirements

willdier,thefollowingstepsareintendedtoserveasaguide

onarangeoftechnologicalevaluaonandimplementaon

issues.

DETErMInInG THE aPPrOPrIaTE TECHnOlOGy.When

choosingtherightunderlyingtechnology,youfacethree

generalopons:takingopen-sourcecodefromanexisng

e-peonsite,developingthetechnologyfromscratch,orusingapublice-peonsite.

Ope-soce

Most,ifnotall,exisnggovernment-sponsorede-peon

systemsareopen-source,meaningthattheirunderlying

codecanbecopiedandusedelsewhereforfree.Developing

ane-peonsitefromopen-sourcecodeintroducesa

specicsetofconsideraons.Thecodeisfreetotake,

andtheremayalsobeacommunityofdeveloperswho

workwiththecoderegularlytomakemodicaonsand

improvements.Whencomparingdierentopen-source

plaorms,youmaywanttoseehowacvethecommunity

ofdevelopersisaroundtheplaorm.Ifmanypeopleare

workingonit,itgenerallymeansthattherewillbeagroup

ofpeoplewhocanhelpaddressissuesonthesiteandwho

canserveasresourcesforwebsiteupdates.Youalsowant

tolookforthesitefeaturesthataremostimportanttoyou.

Makesurethatthosefeaturesareavailableintheopen-

sourceversionoftheplaorm,orthatyourdevelopercan

addthemaertheplaormhasbeencreated.

We recommend that e-petition site designers

consider the user experience when designing

e-petition platforms. The ease of finding and

signing petitions is central to the success of

any e-petition platform. It may be useful to

use citizen focus groups or something similar

(perhaps with government staff) to test the

user experience of the site before the site is

launched.


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8

Deeopig fom sctch

Ifyouhavethetechnicalcapacityorareunabletondan

open-sourceoponthattsyourneeds,youmayconsider

buildingtheplaormfromscratch.Thisrequiresalotofin-

housedevelopmentexperseortheabilitytohireoutside

developers.Wewouldnotrecommendthispathunlessyou

havealotofavailableresourcesorhavespecicneedsthat

arentmetinanexisngplaormorthatcannotbeadded.

Ifyouchoosetobuilditindependently,youcanopen-source

thecodefortheplaormonceitiscomplete.Forexample,

theWhiteHousedevelopedWethePeopleindependently

andthenopen-sourcedthecodetomaketheplaorm

availabletoothers.

Pic E-Peo site

Thereareaplethoraofpublice-peonsitesthatare

unaliatedwithagovernmentbody.Thesesitesdonot

allowback-endgovernmentcontrolofthepeonsite,

butdoserveasplaormsforcizenstocreateandsign

peons.Itmaybepossibleforagovernmenttoselecta

pre-exisngpublicpeonsiteandworkwiththesiteto

encouragecizenstosubmitpeonstothegovernment

throughthepublicsite.Someofthesepublice-peon

sites17onlyprovidebasicpeonfunconality,whileothers

integratesocialnetworkingtools18toallowpeonersto

interactanddooutreacharoundtheirpeons.Thesemore

sociale-peonsiteshelpbuildcommuniesofpolically

engagedcizens.However,usingapublicpeonsitewill

introduceissuesrelatedtodataownership,portability,

andprivacy.Addionally,theremaybecomplicaons

inaccessingemailaddressesandacquiringsignatory

informaon.

Choosing The Right System

Developingasuccessfule-peonplaormwillrequirethat

thesponsoringgovernmentselectanappropriatesystem,

whichleadstoaqueson:Whatshouldyoulookforin

comparingdierentsystems?

EasE Of InsTallaTIOn anD MaInTEnanCE.Whilethis

willbedependentonthecapacityofwhatevertechnology

andtechnicalstaarebeingusedforimplementaon,itis

animportantconsideraonfromacostandmanagement

perspecve.

PETITIOnEr InTErfaCE.Discussionofthepeoner

interfaceshouldcenterontheeaseofuseandthe

availabilityoftoolsusefultocizenpeoners.Simplyput,

howeasyisittostart,sign,orndapeon?Thefollowing

sitefeaturesshouldbeconsidered.

ranKED lIsTs:Onasitewheretheremaybealargevolume

ofcontent,suchasacvee-peonsorresponses,itishelpful

toprovideseveralwaysforpeonstobelistedandsearched.

Somecommonlyusedrankedlistsinclude:popularity,most

recent,orarandomselecon.Therankedlistsavailabletosite

visitorsareimportantbecausethepeonspresentedtothe

mostusersarelikelytoreceivethemostsignatures.Toavoid

appearingasifthesitefavorscertainpeons,makesure

thatthereisanexplanaonforthelisngofpeons,suchas

chronologicalorder,andthatallacvepeonscanbeeasily

accessed.

sEarCH funCTIOnalITy: Ifthesiteincludesasearchfeature,

howdoesitwork?Doesitsearchthefulltextofpeons,

asetofkeywords(chosenbyeitherthepeonerorsite

administrator),ortags?

DuPlICaTE PETITIOns:Similarly,ifsomeonecreatesanew

peonandasimilarpeonisalreadyacve,isthepeoner

noedandoeredtheopportunitytosigntheexisngpeon

insteadofcreanganewone?


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9

Manyoftheseconsideraonswillvarydependingonthe

numberofacvepeonsonthesite,howmanyvisitors

thesitereceives,andthewaythesiteisbeingused,all

ofwhichmaychangeoverme.Forexample,ifpeoncreatorsaredrivingsignatoriesdirectlytospecicpeons,

theissuesaroundpeonlistsmaybeminimized.However,

manyuserswillbebroughttothesitebyaspecicpeon

andmaylookatotherpeonswhileonthesite,making

thelisngfunconalityveryimportant.

baCKEnD InTErfaCE. Theback-endinterfaceusedby

systemmanagersrunsparalleltothepeonerinterface.

Howeasyisittouseandunderstand?Howwillittinwith

internalworkow?Forexample,willpeonshavetobe

copiedandpastedintoanothersystemtobedistributed

totherespondingocialsor,doesthee-peonsystem

allowpeonstobeforwardedandtracked?Similarly,can

responsesbesenttopeonersthroughthee-peon

plaorm,integratedintoanexisngemailclient,ordothe

emailaddressesneedtobeexportedandthensentusing

aseparateemailprogram?Howeasyisitforplaorm

administratorstoarchiveandpostpeonresponses?

TaGs anD CaTEGOrIzaTIOn. Howdopeonsget

categorizedtominimizethenumberofsimilarpeonsthat

enterthesystem?InthecaseofWethePeople,peon

creatorschoosetagsandcategoriesfortheirpeon.These

tagsarethensearchable,makingpeonseasiertosortand

nd.Addionally,eachpeonmustfallintoaspecicissue

category,whichenablessearchingpeonsbyissuearea.19

InTEraCTIvE fEaTurEs. Inaddiontothebasicfeatures

ofane-peonsite,interacvefeaturescanbeadded

to create greatercizeninteraconandengagement:for

example,enablingusercommentsonpeons,theopontouploadaddionalinformaon(documents,photos,links)

topeons,anduserprolestoallowsignatoriestointeract

withoneanotherandformgroups.Whilethesefeatures

enablegreaterengagementandconnecvityamongusers,

theycancreatemoreback-endmanagementconcernsfor

systemadministrators.Addionally,somegovernments

maynotfeelcomfortableusingtheirocialwebsitesas

plaormsforissueoradvocacygroupstoformandconnect.

usEr vErIfICaTIOn.Whilemanye-peonplaormsaempttoverifywhositeusersarethroughemail,we

havenotseenasystemthatisabletogenuinelyverifythat

usersaretellingthetruthabouttheiridenes.Theuse

ofemailvericaonmayhelptocombate-peonfraud

throughmassautomacsignatures,butitdoesnotaddress

theuseofmulpleemailaccountsbythesameuseror

helpdeterminetheidentyoftheuser.Giventhatthe

technologyisnotabletopreventallfraud,itmaybeuseful

todevelopapenaltyforfraudulentuseofthesystemand

outlineitsconsequencesonthewebsite.InQueensland,e-peonfraudcanresultinane,andifthenegoes

unpaid,itcanleadtojailme.20

sTaffInG anD rEsOurCEs. Priortoresearchingallof

thepossibletechnicalpossibilies,itisimportanttodoa

cursoryexaminaonofyourcommitmentandcapacityfor

e-peonimplementaon.

WHO WIll bE rEsPOnsIblE fOr IMPlEMEnTInG THE

sysTEM?IfthereisaninternalITteam,theymayhavethe

abilitytoinstallandcongurethee-peonsystem.Ifyouhave

awebsite,whoevermaintainsyourwebsitemaybeabletodo

this.However,youalsomayneedtoidenfyanewexternal

consultantorvendorfortheimplementaon.

WHO WIll bE rEsPOnsIblE fOr TECHnICal

ManaGEMEnT Of THE sysTEM? Similarly,youwillneedto

determinewhowillberesponsibleformaintainingthesystem


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10

onceitisupandrunning.Thiswillincludetroubleshoong

problemsthatmayariseandensuringsmoothoperaonofthe

system.

WHaT Is yOur buDGET fOr TECHnICal IMPlEMEnTaTIOn

anD MaInTEnanCE?Knowingyourbudgetaheadofmewill

helpfocusyoureortsonndingtherightsystem.

WHaT Is yOur sTaff Or buDGET fOr subsTanTIvE

TraInInG anD OnGOInG ManaGEMEnT Of THE sysTEM?

Beingrealiscabouttheamountofstaandbudgetthatyou

haveavailablefortheprojectwillhelpfacilitateitssuccess.If

yourgovernmentalreadyreceivespaperpeons,itisidealthat

thesameteamprocessese-peonsand,ifpossible,thatboth

typesofpeonsmovethroughthesameinternalprocess.

buIlDInG a TEaM.E-peonsystemscanbemanagedby

onepersonormany,andincaseswhereseveralpeoplewill

be involvedindesigningandimplemenngthesystem,itis

importanttobuildateamthatwillmakeappropriatesoware

choices.

WHO Is On THE TEaM?

TECh TEAM.IfthereisanexisngITteamthatwillbe

doingtheinstallaonandmaintenanceofthee-peon

systemorawebconsultantthatisalreadyworkingwiththe

governmentbody,theyneedtobeincludedonthisteam.

Theirfamiliaritywithdierenttechnologieswillhelptoguide

thedecisionofwhatsowareismostappropriateforyour

specicsituaon.

ManaGEMEnT sTaff.Whowillberesponsiblefor

managingthesystemandrespondingtopeonsonceitis

upandrunning?Involvingplaormadministratorsearlyin

theplanningprocesswillallowthemtoprovidefeedback

ontheinterfaceandairanyconcernstheymayhave.This

willnotonlyeasethetraining,butalsogivethemasenseof

ownershipinthesystem,thusimprovingthelikelihoodofits

success.

DaTa COnCErns WITH ExTErnal vEnDOrs anD

HOsTInG.Forgovernmentsthatuseoutsidevendorsto

runtheire-peonsystem,itisimportanttobereadyto

addressdataownershipandprivacyissuesthatmayarise.

rETaIn OWnErsHIP.Thetermsofserviceonsomesites

claimownershipofthedatathatisenteredintothem.Assuch,

governmentsponsorsofe-peonsitesshouldensurethat

anexternalvendororconsultantdoesnotownthedatabeing

collected.Toavoidtheissue,includegovernmentownership

ofsitecontentaspartofanyvendorcontract.Ifyouareusing

anexternale-peonssite,youmayneedtohaveyourlegal

departmentverifythatitstermsofservicedonotprecludeyou,

asagovernmententy,fromusingtheirservice.

rETaIn aCCEss.Whenanexternalvendorisused,makesurea

planisinplaceshouldthegovernmentdecidetoswitchvendors

orifthecontractorgoesoutofbusiness.Addionally,makesure

thatyouareabletoretrievecollecteddata.Itmaybeusefulto

setuparegularbackupservicetoensureconnuedaccessto

sitedata.

POrTabIlITy.Ifvendorsorplaormsneedtobechanged,how

easyisittomovethedatafromtheprevioussystemtoanew

one?Addressingthisissuewillbeeasierifmulplevendors

canhostthee-peonsystemorifdatacanbebackedupand

accessedexternallyfromaproprietaryvendor.

How Wi The Otcome o The

E-Peo stem be Eted?

Inthinkingaboutthedevelopmentofane-peon

system,itishelpfultoconsiderthemetricsthatwillbe

usedtoevaluatetheprogram.Thegoalslaidoutinthebeginningoftheplanningprocesscanbeusedasaguidefor

designingtheevaluaonprocess.Whatmetricsareuseful

inmeasuringyourspecice-peongoals?21Whilesome

metricswillbespecictothegovernmentcontext,other

metricscanbeusedinmanye-peonsystemevaluaons.


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11

We recommend that you utilize some kind

of analytics tool, such as Google Analytics,

to monitor the e-petition site usage and use

regular site surveys to gather feedback fromusers. Additionally, metrics and evaluations

should be made public and accessible as a

means of showing the public how well you

are meeting your engagement goals. It is also

useful to develop an evaluation plan, including a

schedule, to ensure recurring measurement and

evaluation.

USAGE DATA.Howmanypeonsweresubmied?How

manypeonscrossedthesignaturethreshold?Howmany

signatureshavebeenlogged?Howmanyuniquevisitors?

Theseareafewexamplesoftheusage-relatedquesons,

whichareusefultodeterminethedepthandbreadthof

engagementwiththee-peonsystem.Itishelpfultoknow

notonlyhowmanypeopleareusingthesystem,butalso

howpeopleareusingitandhowoentheyreturn.This

datashouldbeavailablethroughanalycsmonitoringofthe

e-peonsite.

IMPACT METRIC.Animpactmetricismuchmoresubjecve

thanusagedatabutcanprovidevaluablefeedbackonhowcizensfeelaboutthee-peonsystem.Whichparts

ofthesystemareworking?Whicharent?Forexample,

sendinganautomacsurveyaerindividualshavesigned

apeonorreceivedaresponseprovidesthegovernment

withanopportunitytoaskpeonersquesonsabouthow

theyfeltabouttheexperienceoriftheywoulddoitagain.

Addionally,surveyscanalsobegiventodecision-makers

toestablishwhetherthee-peonsystemhasimpacted

theirpolicy-makingprocessortheirunderstandingofcizenconcerns.TheWhiteHouse,Bristol,andQueenslandhaveall

usedsurveysatsomepointtohelpevaluatetheirrespecve

e-peonprograms.

sysTEM rElIabIlITy anD rEsPOnsE TIME.Howwell

dothetechnicalcomponentsofthee-peonplaorm

work?Howoendoesthesitegodown?Aretherecertain

pageswherepeonerslogalotofcomplaintsorleavethe

site?Examiningthesetechnicalcomponentsofthee-peon

processcanimprovetheuserexperienceandincreasethe

reliabilityofthesystem.Itisalsousefultomaintainarecordof

howlongittakestorespondtopeonsandhowoenyou

failtomeetanystatedmelinessguarantees.Keepingtrack

ofthisdatahelpstokeepthegovernmentaccountableforthe

melinessguaranteesthatitmakestocizenpeoners.

ManaGEMEnT anD IMPlEMEnTaTIOn.Howhasthe

systembeenmanaged?Aresystemadministratorsuent

andecientinsystemmanagement?Dotheyhavetheright

skillstoperformtheirdues?Whatarethecosts(interms

ofmoneyandme)torunthee-peonprogram?Asking

thesetypesofquesonswillhelpevaluatehowthesystem

isbeingmanagedinternallyandtheimpactofe-peonson

internalresources.

Hopefully,thisdiscussionhasbeerpreparedyoutoanswersomeofthequesonsyouwillfaceinyoure-peonsystem

implementaon.Thefollowingcasestudiesareintendedto

showyouhowothergovernmentshavenavigatedthrough

theirowne-peonimplementaonsandprovideinsight

intopotenalobstaclesandopportunies.


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12

CASE STUDY:

We the People United States

Background

TheObamaAdministraonlaunchedtheWethePeoplee-peonwebsitetoenableAmericanstosharetheirviewswith

theexecuvebranch.Asatoolfortheenrecountry,WethePeopleservesover300millionpeople.22

E-Peo i the uited stte

TherighttopeongovernmentisenshrinedintheFirstAmendmentoftheU.S.Constuon,whichstatesthatpeople

havearighttopeonGovernmentforaredressofgrievances.Whiletherighttopeonwasonceusedforthepersonal

redressofgrievances,itisnowprimarilyusedbygroupsofcizenswhowanttoexpresstheirviewsordemandaspecic

acononaparcularissue.Ithasbeenformallyestablishedthatthoughthereisarighttopeon,thereisnodenedright

ofreceivingagovernmentresponse.23

WhenPresidentObamatookocein2009,heissuedaMemorandumonTransparencyandOpenGovernment,callingon

theExecuveBranchanditsagenciestobemoretransparent,parcipatory,andcollaborave.InSeptember2011,President

ObamaintroducedtheU.S.OpenGovernmentPartnershipNaonalAconPlan,24outliningtheaconstepstofostergreater

transparency,parcipaon,andcollaboraoningovernmentdecision-making.25Thecreaonofane-peonplaormwas

oneof26speciccommitmentsinthisplan.26

SoonaerthereleaseoftheNaonalAconPlan,theObamaAdministraonlaunchedtheWethePeoplee-peon

website.ThesitenotonlyallowedpeopletopeontheWhiteHouse,butalsoguaranteedthatifaspeciednumberof

peoplesignedapeonwithin30days,theWhiteHousewouldissuearesponse.Usageofthesitehasgrownsteadily,and

thenumberofsiteusersdoubledfollowingthe2012elecon,bringingthetotalnumberofsiteuserstoover7million.27 As

ofMarch2013,theWethePeoplesitehadreceivedmorethan178,000peons28andhadissuedover150responses.29The

signaturethresholdtotriggeraWhiteHouseresponsehaschangedoverme.Whentheplaormlaunched,thethreshold

was5,000,butinJanuary2013itwaschangedto100,000.30

TheWethePeoplee-peonsitewasinuencedbypre-exisnge-peonplaorms,includingtheUnitedKingdomsHouse

ofCommonse-peonsite(hp://epeons.direct.gov.uk/).31TheWhiteHousesiteistherste-peonsitecreatedby

theU.S.governmentandistheonlyexampleofe-peoningintheUnitedStatesthatwehavefound.Thoughthesite

wasinuencedbyinternaonale-peonplaorms,ateamofWhiteHousedevelopersbuiltit.32Inthesummerof2012,

theWhiteHouseopen-sourcedthecodeforWethePeople,makingtheplaormavailableforusebyothergovernments,

organizaons,andindividuals.33


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13

Key Decision Areas for We The People - United States

Determining Engagement Goals

Asapresidenalcandidatein2008,BarackObamavowedtoimplementnewaccountabilitytransparencymeasures.34To

keephiscampaignpromise,heannouncedhisMemorandumonTransparencyandOpenGovernmentonhisrstdayin

oce.Thememohighlightedincreasedpublicparcipaonasapathtogovernmentopenness,andisdescribedonthe

WhiteHousewebsiteasempoweringthepublicthroughgreateropennessandnewtechnologiestoinuencethe

decisionsthataecttheirlives.35Whilee-peonswerenottheonlyiniavelaunchedbytheObamaAdministraonto

meetthisgoal,theyembodythespiritofopennessthroughtechnologicalinnovaon.


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14

Duetothelonghistoryofpeonsandthepublicsfamiliaritywiththemechanism,government-sponsorede-peoning

isanaccessibleparcipaontoolthatcanprovideanopportunityforthegovernmenttoengageinadialoguewithcizens

aboutissuesthatareimportanttothem.AccordingtotheWethePeoplewebsite,theplaormhelpstheWhiteHouse

understandtheviewsoftheAmericanpeopleandhaveafocusedandcivilconversaonwiththem.36TheWethePeople

plaormprovidedanavenuefortheObamaAdministraontomeetitspubliccommitmentstoparcipaon.E-peons,as

partoftheObamaAdministraonslargergovernmentopennessiniave,wereposionedasameansforthepublicsvoice

tobeheard,incontrasttotheperceivedWashingtoncultureofsecrecyandspecialinterests.Thetaglineforthee-peon

plaormisyourvoiceingovernment,suggesngthatindividualslackedapropervoicepriortotheintroduconofthe

plaorm.37

Coecg E-Peo to Deciio-Mkig

TheWethePeopleplaormishousedwithintheexecuvebranch;peonssentthroughtheplaormcanonlybedirected

attheWhiteHouseorexecuvebranchagencies.Toparcipateonthesiteandcreateorsignpeons,individualsmust

be13orolderandcreateaWhiteHouse.govaccount,whichasksforanemailaddress,name,andZIPcode.Avericaon

linkissenttotheemailaddressandtheusermustclicktoverifytheaddress.Whencreangapeon,usersmustprovide

atleandselectanissuecategory.Theplaormthensearchesforpeonsthatalreadymeetthosecriteriaandasksifthe

userwouldprefertosignanexisngpeoninlieuofcreanganewpeon.Ifauserconnuestocreateanewpeon,

heorshecanprovideadescripon(upto

800characters)andaddkeywordsandtags.

Oncesubmied,thepeoncannotbe

editedandthepeoncreatorisprovided

withalinktotheacvepeononthe

WethePeoplesite.However,atthispoint,

thepeonisnotsearchableonWethe

People.Thepeoncreatormustsharethe

linkthroughhisorherownnetworks,and

oncethepeonreaches150signatures,

itbecomessearchableontheWhiteHouse

e-peonsite.38Thisthresholdinially

placestheburdenofpublicizingapeon

onthepeoncreator.

Peonscanbeviewedbyissuecategory,date,orpopularity,andcanbesearchedusingkeyterms.Potenalsignatories

canviewapeon,seetheinialsandgenerallocaonofothersigners,andviewhowmanymoresignaturesareneeded


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15

beforethepeoncrossesthethresholdforaWhiteHouseresponse.Onceusershavesignedapeon,theyareprompted

tosharethepeonviasocialmedia.Accordingtotheplaormsrules,ane-peonhas30daystoreach100,000

signatures.Ifthee-peondoesnotreachthesignaturethresholdwithin30days,itisremovedfromthesite.Ifthepeon

crossesthethreshold,itisthenbroughttoaninternalmeengattheWhiteHouse,wheremembersoftheOceofDigital

Strategy,whichoverseesWethePeople,havegatheredrelevantpolicyocials.Theoutcomeofthismeengdetermines

whointheexecuvebranchisbestsuitedtorespondtothepeon.39

Whilepeonsthatcrossthesignaturethresholdareguaranteedaresponse,thereisnostatedmelineforthatresponse.

Thelackofmelyresponsehasbeencricized,andseveralpeonsthathadcrossedthethresholdweresllawaing

responsesmanymonthslaterasofJanuary2013.40Policyocialswhoseworkisrelatedtothecontentofthepeon

usuallywritetheresponses,whicharethenpostedonthee-peonsiteandemailedtoallofthepeonssignatories.A

singleresponsecanbeissuedformulplepeonsonrelatedsubjects.

Whilethetoneofeachresponsevariesaccordingtothewriterandthetopic,peonresponsesappeartobeprimarilyof

fourtypes:

Anexplanaonofwhattheadministraonsposionisonthetopicinqueson.

Arequestforfurtherengagement41betweenpolicyocialsandthepeoncreatororsignatoriesontheissue.

Astatementonhowpolicyhaschangedasaresultofthepeon.

AdescriponofwhytheWhiteHousecannotaddressthepeon.TherearevarioussubjectsthattheWhiteHousewillnotaddress,such

aslawenforcement,procurement,oradjudicatorymaers.42

WhilemostpeonsdonotcrosstheWethePeoplethreshold,somesuccessfulpeonshavecreatedasubstanvepolicy

impact.Forexample,peonsagainstonlinepiracylegislaon,suchastheStopOnlinePiracyAct(SOPA)of2012,werepart

ofalargeronlineprotestthatwassuccessfulinbuildingenoughopposiontostoptheproposedlegislaon.Otherpeons

createdimpactwithoutthebackingofalargermovement.Inthebeginningof2013,apeonsurfacedrequesngthatcell

phoneunlocking(whichallowscellphonestobeusedondierentcarriers)belegalized.TheWhiteHouseresponsetothe

peonwasverysupporve,stangTheWhiteHouseagreeswiththe114,000+ofyouwhobelievethatconsumersshould

beabletounlocktheircellphoneswithoutriskingcriminalorotherpenales.43Theresponsewasverywellreceivedbythe

peoncreator,whosaid,AlotofpeoplereactedskepcallywhenIoriginallystartedthepeon,withlotsofcomments

totheeectofpeonsdontdoanything.Theopmistinmeisreallygladtohaveprovedthemwrong.TheWhite

Housejustshowedthattheyreallydolisten,andthattheyrewillingtotakeacon.44Thisresponseshowshowaposive

interaconcangivepeonersamoreposiveviewofgovernment.


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16

Mgig the Cie-Goemet Iteco

Creanganonlineportalforcizen-governmentinteraconinacountryaslargeanddiverseastheUnitedStatesrequires

afairamountofmanagement.TheteambehindWethePeople,theWhiteHousesOceofDigitalStrategy,managesthe

interaconwiththepubliconmanylevelsandthroughvaryingmeans.Firstandforemost,theinteraconismediatedby

theformalrulessetinplacebythee-peonplaorm.45Theserulesarefullyoutlinedinthesitetermsofparcipaonand

mademoreaccessibletothegeneralpublicthroughvideotutorialsandexplanaonsthroughoutthesite.Theuseofvideos

andgraphicalrepresentaonofthee-peonprocesshelpsnewandlessexperiencedusersunderstandtheprocess,while

alsomanagingtheirexpectaons.

Whiletheintroductoryvideoslayoutthegenerale-peonprocess,othersitevideoshighlightthepotenalimpactof

e-peonsonthepolicymakingprocess.Forexample,onevideoexplainingthee-peonprocessstates,thereareissues

thatareonlivepeonsrightnowonWethePeoplethatseniormembersoftheWhiteHousearehavingmeengsabout

becausetheissuecametousthroughWethePeople.46Thissuggeststhatpeonerscanhaveatangibleimpactonpolicy.

Peonerexpectaonsarenotonlymanagedthroughthearculaonofformalrules,butalsothroughthedesignofthe

plaormitself.Forexample,apeoncreatormustselectanissueareaforthepeonasitisbeingcreated.Suchastep

makesiteasierforthesitetosortandsearchpeons,butitalsoforcespeoncreatorstoconformtotheconstraints

ofthesite.Similarly,peondescriponscannotexceed800characters.47Themandatoryaccountcreaonalsoservesto

controltheinteraconbetweenusersandthesite.Whiletheinformaonisonlyveriedusinganemaillink,thesiteasks

foridenfyinginformaon,suchasanameandzipcode,whichistreatedaspublicinformaon.Thetermsofparcipaon

alsostatethattheWhiteHousecansendusersemailsrelatedtoWethePeoplegenerally,notonlytothepeonsthat

theysign.Addionally,theWhiteHousekeepsuserinformaononle,stangthatinformaonwilllikelyberetainedby

theWhiteHouseunltheendofthecurrentAdministraon,atwhichmeitwillbetransferredtotheNaonalArchives

andRecordsAdministraon. 48Thesestructuralcomponentscontrolthewayusersareabletointeractwiththesite,

fundamentallyframingthenatureoftheinteracon.

Inaddiontotheseformalmechanisms,theWhiteHousesetsthetoneoftheplaormbyadversingtheplaormelsewhereon

theWhiteHousewebsite.Forexample,theWhiteHouseblogservesasthesourceforinformaonaboutthee-peonplaorm

andprocess,includingsitechangesandupdates.ThetonesetbytheWethePeopleblogpostsconnuallysuggeststhatthesite

isevolvingandissllinitsearlystages,givingreadersasensethattheirexperiencewiththeplaormwillchangeoverme 49and

creangaspacefortheWhiteHousetoadversethesuccessesofthesite. 50Inaddion,theWethePeopleblogpostsencourage

readerstosharefeedbackaboutthesiteonTwierorthroughcontactforms.


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Formanypeoners,thecizen-governmentinteraconisjudgedthroughthepeonresponse(orlackthereof),which

placesimportanceonthecontent,tone,andmelinessofpeonresponses.Thesevaryacrosspeons,butitisworth

nongthattheWhiteHousese-peonprocesshasreceivedcricismonallthreefronts.Somepeonresponseshave

beencricizedforbeingdismissiveorsimplystanganadministraonposionwithoutanysubstanveexplanaon,

whileotherresponseshavenotbeenissuedinamelymanner(oratall).51However,theWhiteHousehaspubliclystated

thatittakesthepeonprocessseriously,evenrespondingtoapeonaboutthequalityofpeonresponseswiththe

tleWerelistening.Seriously. 52Despitethisclaim,thedecision-makingprocessbehindpeonresponsesisnotvisibly

transparent,eitherintheexplanaonofthepeonprocessorinthereasoningputforthinmanypeonresponses.

Thequalityandcontentofpeonresponsescancarryaddionalimpactbycreangavenuesforfurtherengagement.

Forexample,aresponsetoapeoncallingforthecreaonofaDeathStar(aconalspacestaonfromStarWars)

includedmanylinkstospace-relatedprojectsalreadyunderdevelopment,essenallyredirecngthosewhoexpressed

interestinspaceexploraontotheappropriateresources(e.g.,

NASAnewsleersandwebsites).53Onelinkincludedinthepeon

responseleadto10,000signupsforaSpottheStaontoolona

NASAsiteandTheimpactonNASAsCommercialCrewandCargo

ProgramOce(C3PO)pagewashuge.Tractothesiteincreased

about200xbetweenJan.10-12.Thetracoverthatweekend

representsmorethanhalfthetractothatpagefortheenre

month.54

Whilenotseenineverypeonresponse,thispracce

encouragespeonerstoremainengagedwithgovernmentand

itsresources,eveniftheWhiteHousedoesnotchoosetotakethe

aconrequestedinthepeon.

Eachpeonresponsecreatesauniquerelaonshipwithits

signatories,givingtheWhiteHouseanopportunityeachme

tomakepeonersfeelunderstoodandheard.However,this

outcomecaneasilybecomecompromisedbythequalityofthe

peonresponse,aswellasunrealiscpublicexpectaonsforwhat

peonscanaccomplish.Asthesitedevelops,therelaonship

betweenpeonersandtheWhiteHousewillalsoconnueto

evolve.


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18

Techic Coideo

AninternalteamofdevelopersattheWhiteHousecreatedtheWethePeopleplaorm.Whiletheplaormusesfeatures

similartoothere-peonplaorms,itwasnotbuiltfromexisngopen-sourcee-peonplaormcode.Theplaorm

wasbuiltusingDrupal,anopen-sourcecontentmanagementsystem.TheWhiteHousemadetheplaormcodeavailable

throughanopen-sourcelicenseinAugust2012,whichcanbefoundatgithub.com/WhiteHouse/peons.Likeother

e-peonplaorms,WethePeopleoersbasicpeonfunconalityincludingsigning,creang,andbrowsingpeons.

Thesitealsofeaturesaddionalfunconality,suchasafeaturedresponsepage,issuecategoriesandtags,sitemoderaon,

accountsign-ups,andvideo/mulmediacapabilies.

Theaddedfunconalityallowsthesiteadministratorstomoreeasilyorganizeinformaon,bothforsiteusersandforback-

endpurposes.Forexample,usingpredenedcategoriesmakesiteasiertosearchforpeonsrelevanttocizeninterests

andallowstheWhiteHousetounderstandwhichissuesaregeneranginterestinspecicgeographicareas.Theaccount

structureallowsinformaontobetrackedoveralongperiodofme,acrossinterestareaandgeography.Theusagedata

ispubliclyavailable(peonersareidenedbytheirinialsandZIPcodes)andcanbeusedbythegovernmentandthe

publictounderstandareasofoverlappinginterest.Forinstance,inthewakeofthemassshoonginNewtown,Conneccut

inDecember2012,peonersonbothsidesoftheguncontrolissuesignedthesamepeonsaboutmentalhealth,

suggesngpeoplemaywhodisagreeaboutguncontrol,maysllagreeaboutmentalhealthpolicy.55

TheavailabilityofdatageneratedthroughtheWethePeoplesitespeakstotheWhiteHousesengagementwiththetech

communityaroundthee-peonplaorm.Inaddiontomakingtheplaormopen-source,theWhiteHousehasalso

hostedahackathon,wheredeveloperswereinvitedtotheWhiteHousetocreatetoolsusingthedatageneratedbythe

site.AtthersthackathoninFebruary2013,developerscreatedadiversesetoftools,includingWherethePeople,ame-

lapsedmapofpeonsignatoriesexpressedasapercentageofthepopulaon.56Thetoolsdevelopedatthehackathon

werebasedonthedevelopmentofaWethePeopleapplicaonprogramminginterface(API),whichwasannouncedin

February2013.AnAPIallowsthee-peonplaormfeaturestobeaccessedonthird-partysites.Forexample,ifyoucould

signaWethePeoplepeononanadvocacyorganizaonswebsite,youwouldbeinteracngwiththeWethePeopleAPI.

TheWhiteHouseexplainedthepurposeoftheAPIbysaying,Atitsmostbasic,WethePeopleisaconversaon.Individuals

askquesonsoftheWhiteHouse,andtheObamaadministraonresponds.WhatthisAPIallowsustodoisbroadenthe

discussionmakeitasexible,open,andtransparentaspossible.57WhiletheWriteAPI(whichwouldallowinteraconon

third-partysites)isnotyetreleased,itdemonstratestheWhiteHousesdesiretomaketheplaormmoreaccessibleand

availableonline.58


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19

Eo

Similarlytoothere-peonplaorms,WethePeopleemploysvarioussiteusagemetrics,gatheredthroughGoogle

Analycs,tohelpwithevaluaon.59AsofMarch13,2013,thesitehadreceivedover11.6millionsignatures,had7.2million

totalusers,andhadcollectedover178,000peons.60However,thosenumbersdontpaintthewholepicture.Accordingto

ChrisWilsonofYahoo!News,about10%ofparcipantsmakeup40%ofthesignaturesonthesite,meaningthatagroupof

supersignersorrepeatusersaccountsformuchoftheacvityonthesite.

Inaddiontogatheringusageinformaon,whichtheWhiteHouseregularlyincludesinblogpostsrelatedtothesite,the

WhiteHousealsousessurveysofsiteuserstodeterminethequalityoftheirexperienceonthesite.AccordingtotheWhite

House,86%ofsurveyrespondentswouldcreateorsignanotherpeononthesite;66%saidthattheAdministraons

responsewashelpfultohear;and50%saidthattheylearnedsomethingnewasaresultofthepeonresponse.Thisdata

suggeststhatthesiteisatleastsomewhatsuccessfulatengagingthepublic.

TheWhiteHouseemploystheWethePeopleusagedataasproofofitscommitmenttoopennessandcivicengagement,

andofitsfulllmentoftheirgoalsforthesite.Forexample,thee-peonplaormisoencitedasasuccessoftheObama

Administraonscommitmenttoopengovernment.OneblogpostreecngontheOpenGovernmentcommitment

stated,withthelaunchoftheWhiteHousesWethePeoplepeonplaorm,cizensnowhaveamorepowerfulvoice

ingovernment.Technically,thesitehasundergonesignicantchangessinceitslaunch,includingbecomingopen-source

anddevelopinganAPI.Thesedevelopmentsareseenassuccessfulstepstowardfulllingtheopennessandengagement

goalssetoutbyPresidentObama.Whilethesechangeswillworktoincreasethenumberofpeoplewhohaveaccesstothe

siteandprovideincreasedaccesstositedata,theydonotaddressconcernsrelatedtothemelinessorqualityofpeon

responses.

COnClusIOn

With o the medi coege o We the Peope, it c e e to oget tht the ptom i

og d etie teted. Whie the ite eem to he heped the Om admiittio

meet ome o it ope goemet go, it i ot et itittioied withi the eectie

ch. The eectio o the et peideti dmiittio d it deciio ote-petitioig wi tet the ogeit o the ptom o oth the goemet d the pic. I

the et peideti dmiittio cotie tiiig e-petitioig, eithe thogh We the

Peope o othe too, it wi hep oidi the pctice, mkig e-petitio e o poitic

too d moe o itmet o citie oice. Moeoe, ameic ecome cctomed

to goemet-pooed e-petitio, thee m e gowig deie o iceed citie

cce d goemet epoe. Whie the impct o We the Peope emi to e ee,

it ecet gowth gget tht thee i poitic d pic deie o impe, cceie

too o goemet opee d citie cce withi the uited stte.


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20

Background

QueenslandisastatesituatedinthenortheasternpartofAustraliathatcovers22.5%oftheAustralianconnent,making

itabout2.5mesthesizeofTexas.OverhalfofQueenslands4.5millionpeoplelivesoutsideofurbanizedareasmaking

physicalaccesstostategovernmentdicult.

Government Structure

ThegovernmentofQueenslandismodeledaertheBrishParliament,meaningthatithasthreebranches:parliament

(legislave),cabinetandexecuvecouncil(execuve),andcourts(judicial).Queenslandismadeupof89electoraldistricts

eachwithanelectedrepresentavetothestateparliament,whichisunicameral.Thepolicalparty,orgroupofpares

workingtogether,thatwinsthemajorityofseatsinparliament(45seats)formsagovernment,andthegroupofparesthat

winsthesecondhighestnumberofvotesformstheopposion.ItisimportanttonotethatAustraliahascompulsoryvong

infederal,state,andlocalelecons,meaningthatallcizens18yearsandolderareregisteredtovoteandaresupposedto

voteinallelecons.

E-Peo i Qeed

Intheearly2000s,variousmembersofQueenslandsParliamentfacedallegaonsofelectoralfraud.Theseallegaons

wereofgreatconcernandsparkedanindependentinvesgaon,calledtheShepardsonInquiry,whichrecommended

prosecuonofsomeelectedocials.WhiletheShepardsonInquirydidnotdirectlycallforelectoralreform,ithighlighted

exisngissueswithinQueenslandssystem.Asaresponse,theRestoringIntegrityGoodGovernmentPlan(thePlan)was

implementedin2001.ThisplanwasiniallypartofaLaborpartycampaignplaormthatcalledforiniavesdesignedto

cutoutbadpraccesandrestoreintegritytothedemocracprocessesoftheState.

ThePlanfocusedonthreemaingoals:honestdemocracy,honestelecons,andparliamentworkingonbehalfofcizens.

InthePlan,variousdirecveswereoutlinedtoachieveeachgoal.Thedevelopmentofanonlinepeonsystemwas

includedasameanstohelpParliamentworkforcizensneeds.Variousotheropennessmechanismswerealsoincluded,

suchasthebroadcasngofparliamentarymeengsandane-democracytrial.70InAugustof2002,a12-monthe-peon

trialbeganontheQueenslandParliamentwebsite.Theevaluaonofthetrialtookplacethefollowingyear;itfoundthat

thepublicandMembersofParliament(MPs)supportedthenewsystem,cingtheincreasedtransparencybroughtbythe

publishingofministerialresponsestopaperpeons.InNovember2003,e-peonsbecameanocialfeatureoftheQueenslandParliament.71

CASE STUDY:

Queensland, Australia


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21

Key Decision Areas for Queensland, Australia


ThegoalsoftheQueenslande-peonsystemshouldbeviewedwithinthecontextofthelargerRestoringIntegrityGood

GovernmentPlan,whichoutlinedgovernmentresponsetoelectoralfraud.ThePlanwascreatednotonlyasaneeded

responsetoperceponsofcorrupon,butalsoasawaytoaddressdisengagementbycizens,declininglevelsofpublic

trustandincondenceingovernmentandincreasedpublicexpectaonsforgovernmentstoberesponsive,accountable,

andeecve.72E-peonswereincludedinthePlanasameansofmakingParliamentworkintheinterestsofcizens

andbringingthepublicintothegoverningprocess.Addionally,e-peonstintothegovernmentscommitmenttouse

informaonandcommunicaontechnology(ICT)toimprovegovernmentpolicies,programs,andservices,aswellasto

strengthenparcipatorydemocracy. 73


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22

NeilLaurie,ClerkoftheQueenslandParliament,summarizedthefollowinggoalsforthee-peonprogram:74

StrengthenthedemocracrightintendedbythepeoningprocesstogivethepublicadirectvoiceintheQueenslandParliament;

Createanaddionalavenuebywhichthepubliccanraiseissuesdirectlywiththeparliamentandprovideacentrallocaonwherethe

publiccanlearnaboutandsupportpeonsofwhichtheymayhavebeenotherwiseunaware;and

Delivergreateraccessibility,transparency,andresponsivenessaroundpeoning.

Thesegoalshaveinuencedthestructureofthee-peonsystemanditsimplementaon.Forexample,thee-peon

websiteservesasahubforallparliamentarypeons(electronicandpaperpeons),thusprovidingacentrallocaon

wherecizenscanparcipateinthepeonprocess.Centralizingthepeonprocesshelpeddeliveronthegoalofbringing

transparencytothepre-exisngpaperpeonprocess.75


Queenslandse-peonprocessisdierentfrommanyothere-peonprocessesintwosignicantways:thereisno

signaturethreshold,andaMemberofParliamentortheClerkoftheParliamentmustsponsorpeonsbeforethey

arepresentedtoParliament.Whilebothpaperandelectronicpeonsmustndasponsor,theprocessofacquiring

sponsorshipvariesbetweenpaperandelectronicpeons.Fore-peoncreators,ane-peonmustndasponsorbefore

itcanreceivesignatures.However,paperpeonsreceivesignaturesbeforesponsorship.Apeoncreator,calledthe

principalpeoner,caneitherndasympathecMPorcansubmitthepeontotheClerkoftheParliamenttoreceive

sponsorship.

Therststepinthee-peonprocess

isfortheprincipalpeonertonda

sponsor,eitheranMPortheClerk.Contact

informaonforMPsisavailableviathe

e-peonsite,asisane-peonrequest

form,whichisrequiredwhenseekingpeon

sponsorship.Thee-peonrequestform

asksforthewordingofthepeon,eligibility

criteriaforsigningthepeon,howlongthe

peonshouldremainacve,andcontact

informaonfortheprincipalpeonerand

thepeonsponsor.Theprincipalpeoner

canchoosefromamongthreeoponsto

determinewhoiseligibletosignthepeon:

Queenslandcizens,Queenslandresidents,

orvotersofacertainareawithinthestate.

Assuch,itistheprincipalpeoners

responsibilitytoidenfywhichgroupwould

havethegreatestinterestorcommitmentto

thepeon.


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23

IfaprincipalpeonerisabletondanMPtosponsorthepeon,theMPlespaperworkwiththeClerkofthe

Parliament,whodetermineswhetherthepeonmeetsthestatede-peonrequirements.76AerpassingtheClerks

review,thee-peonispostedonlineandisopenforsignatures.Apeoncanbepostedforaminimumofoneweekanda

maximumofsixmonths;theexactmeisdeterminedbytheprincipalpeonerandthepeonsponsor.Signatoriestothe

peonareabletosignuptoreceiveanautomacemailwiththepeonresponse.Oncethepeonhasreachedtheend

ofitsacveperiod,thepeonisclosedandpresentedtotheParliamentatitsnextsession.Theministeroverseeingthe

contentareaofthepeonmustsubmitaresponsetotheClerkwithin30days.Ifaministerisunabletorespond,areason

mustbesenttotheClerkwithin30days,andanalresponsemustbesubmiedwithinthreemonths.Aerreceiving

aministerialresponse,theClerkforwardstheresponsetotheprincipalpeoner,thepeonsponsor,andpeon

signatories,andalsopoststheresponseonline.

Oncearesponseispostedonline,itcanbefoundthroughalinkontheoriginalpeon,whichbringsupaPDFoftheformal

responseleerfromtheminister.Possiblee-peonresponsescaninclude:

Anexplanaonofwhataconsweretakenasaresultofthepeon.

Astatementthattheissueisunderconsideraon.

Anexplanaonofwhytheissuecannotorwillnotbepursued.

Paperpeonresponsesarehandledsimilarly,withtheexceponthatthepeongatherssignaturesbeforetheprincipal

peoneridenesasponsor.Responsestobothpaperandelectronicpeonsareavailableonthee-peonwebsite.

Mgig Cie-Goemet Iteco

Theinteraconbetweencizensandgovernmentismoderatedthroughtheformalconstruconofthee-peonwebsite

anditsrules,aswellthetypeofinteraconthattakesplaceonthesite.Thewebsitescondionsoutlinewhoiseligibleto

usethesiteandtheconsequencesofmisusingthesite.Queenslandscondionsofuseexplicitlystatethatfailuretocomply

withthesitestermsofusecouldresultinaneand,iftheneisnotpaid,imprisonment.77Theprivacystatementexplains

thatpeonersinformaon(name,address,emailaddress)iskeptunlthepeonreceivesaministerialresponse

orsixmonthshaspassedsincethee-peonwastabledbyParliament.Despitethedeleonofpeonerinformaon

aeraspeciedperiodofme,theprivacystatementclearlyindicatesthatpeoninformaonispublicandthatit

remainsavailableattheParliamentsTableOcetobereadorcopiedaerthepeonhasbeentabled.78Thismeans

thatpeonerinformaon,includingaddressesandemailaddresses,couldbeaccessedandcopiedevenaertheformal

peonperiodhasended.

Theprincipalpeonerisresponsibleforndingasponsorforthepeonandforadversingthepeontopotenal

signatories.Itistheprincipalpeonersresponsibilitytopromotetheirpeonandraiseawarenessinthecommunity.

TheQueenslandParliamentsroleisonlytofacilitatetheprocess.79Whiletheburdenofadversingfallsontheprincipal

peoner,MPsandtheirelectorateocestaalsoplayacrucialroleinthepeoningprocess.MPsareprovidedwith

trainingandmaterialstoassistpeonersastheymovethroughouttheprocess.80Thisinteraconservesasameansfor

MPstocreatevaluablerelaonshipswithacvecizensandreachouttovotersbyshowingtheirsupportforcizen-driven

iniaves.PeonerscanalsoreceivesupportfromtheOceoftheClerk,whocanhelpprovidestrategicguidance,suchas

howlongapeonshouldremainacve.81


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24

Thise-peoningstructurecreatesadynamicinteraconbetweencizensandgovernment.QueenslandsuseofMPor

Clerksponsorshipencouragesprincipalpeonerstohaveamorepersonalinteraconwithgovernmentocialsandhas

thepotenaltocreatemeaningfulcizen-governmentdialogue.AccordingtotheClerk,membersofthepublicregularly

seekadviceandassistanceinpreparingpeons.82However,thelevelofcizeninteraconseemstosubsideaerthe

peonenterstheformalresponseprocess.Oncethepeonresponseisissued,thereisnospecicspaceforcizen

interacononthatpeon.Atthatpoint,peonerscancreatenewpeonsormayconnuetoworkwiththepeon

sponsortondamoresuitablewaytobringtheissueontotheparliamentaryagenda.

DuetoQueenslandsinvestmentinothere-democracytools,interestedpeonersarealsoabletoviewlivebroadcasts

oftheparliamentarychamber,aswellasvariouscommieehearings.Archivedbroadcastsareavailabledangbackto

February2011.

Techic Coideo

QueenslandspeonswebsitewascreatedinhousebytheParliamentaryServicesInformaonTechnologyService,which

hasconnuedtosupporttheOceoftheClerkinmanagingthepeonsystemstechnicalcomponents. 83Itisesmatedthat

thecostofbuildingthesystemwasapproximately$80,000,whichwasprimarilyspentonhardware(server),relatedsoware,

anddeveloperhours.Thepeonsiteitselfhastwoprimaryinterfaces,oneforpeonsignersandtheotherforsystem

administrators.Thepublicpeon-signinginterfaceislargelyautomated,includingtheclosingofapeononaspecicdate

andthedeleonofsignatoryinformaon;however,theposngofministerialresponsesisperformedmanually. 84

Thesitefeaturesincludeapeon-signingfuncon,alistofcurrentpeons(bothelectronicandpaper),alistofclosed

peonsandministerialresponses,atotalnumberofsignaturesforeachpeon,asharefuncon(tosendpeonto

friends)andlinkstotheClerkandMPs.Topreventfraudthroughmassemailsubmissions,thee-peonsplaormulizes

auniqueIDgeneraonsystem,whichgiveseachpeonsignatureaveriableIDnumberwhichmustbequotedaspartofthesigningprocess.85Whilethesiteoersbothelectronicandpaperpeons,theyareaccessedthroughseparatelinks

onthemainpage.Addionally,thereisnosearchororganizingfuncon,whichcanmakeitdiculttonavigatetheexisng

peons.

Eo

Similartoothere-peonsystems,Queenslandevaluatesitspeonprogramwithacombinaonofusagedata,formal

evaluaon,andusersurveys.AccordingtotheClerkoftheParliament,therehavebeenover600e-peonsand1,323

paperpeonssincethebeginningofQueenslandse-peonprogram.Whiletherehavebeenmorepaperpeons,

e-peonsgenerallyreceivemoresignaturesbecausetheycanremainavailableonthewebsiteforuptosixmonths,which

islongerthanmostpaperpeonsremainacve.

AcomprehensiveevaluaonoftheQueenslande-peonprocessin2003conrmedthatthesystemisprovidingan

addionalandaccessibleavenueforthecommunitytoengageinakeygovernmentprocessandthatthereisahighlevelof

supportinthecommunityandamongMembersofParliamentforthee-peonprocess.86This2003evaluaonfoundthat

usersofthee-peonsystembelievedittobeaconvenienttoolthatincreasedtransparencyinthepeonprocessand

encouragedpublicinputingovernmentdecision-making.


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25

BetweenApril2003andMay2005,thepeonsiterananonlinesurveytogatherinformaonfromusers.Approximately

3.5%ofsiteusersrespondedtothesurvey,whichaskedwhypeopledecidedtousethesite,howtheyfoundoutabout

thesite,whatacviestheydidwhileonthesite,iftheywouldreturn,andtheirgeneralsasfaconwiththesite.Survey

respondentsfoundtheprocesseasytouseandthoughtitwasausefulopportunityfordemocracparcipaon.87Most

surveyrespondentsdiscoveredthesitethroughthepromoonofaspecicpeon,includingrecommendaonsfrom

others(39%),word-of-mouth(14%)orfromtheprincipalpeoner(10%).88Whenaskedwhypeonerssignedan

e-peon,over40%citedconvenience,andaboutaquartersaidtopromptapeonresponse.89Thissurveyhelpedto

provideasetofrecommendaonsforimprovementstothee-peonsystem.Unfortunately,therehasbeennoformal

evaluaonoftheQueenslande-peonsystemsince2005,soitisnotclearhowthegovernmenthasrespondedtoearlier

recommendaons.

COnClusIOn

Queenslands e-petition system demonstrates the usefulness of e-petitions as a mechanism

to idge the phic diide etwee goemet d the pic. a oted the Cek othe Pimet, cetig citie cce to goemet with dipeed poptio c e

diict, d poidig cceie goemet d ee o peope to he thei o

matters that are important to them and their communities, regardless of their location, is

particularly important and challenging in Queensland. 90

a pt o ge goemet iititie, Qeed w e to e e-petitio oce

o citie ctio d goemet tpec. Whie the ete o the Qeed

e-petition site are not flashy, the site is easy to navigate and delivers timely government

epoe, withot the cotit o igte thehod. Othe ge commitie, ch

tte o gecie with ge, decetied cotitecie, c ook to Qeed

mode o e-petitioig o ge ce tht ti ddee etie oc o detied citieconcerns.


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26

Background

BristolisacityinSouthWestEnglandwithapopulaonof428,100.Thecityhasundergoneapopulaonincreaseof9.7%

since2001andoverthepastdecadeithasexperiencedaninuxofinternaonalimmigrants,parcularlyfromIndia,

Somalia,andPoland.Thepopulaonisrelavelyyoung,withover70%undertheageof50,whichhascreatedstrainsona

widerangeofgovernmentservices.91

IndustryinBristolisvariedandincludestechnology,nancialservices,banking,anddistribuon.However,Bristolfaces

urbanchallengessuchascongesonandhighhousepricesrelavetoincome.Compoundedbyadicultnancialclimate,

workersandyoungerpeoplearendingithardertondworkandsomewheretolive.92Inaddion,Bristolcontainspockets

ofpoverty.In2008,anesmated27%ofchildrenlivedinpovertyinthecity,andinsomeareaspovertyamongchildren

reaches60%.93

Government Structure

TheBristolCityCouncilismadeupofaMayor,whoservesathree-and-a-half-yearterm,andcouncillors,whoservefour-

yearterms.Therearetwocouncillorsforeachofthecitys35wards.TheMayorselectsaCabinetofuptoeightcouncillors

tooverseevariousservicesanddeterminekeypolicies.Atvariousmesthroughouttheyear,allofthecouncillorsgatherin

aFullCounciltoappointcommiees,adoptandamendpolicyandbudgetframeworks,andsetthebudget.94

E-Peo i bito

Intheearly2000s,Bristolcityadministratorsrecognizedthatthecitywasexperiencingasignicantdeclineinvong,

especiallyamongtheyoung.95Toaddressthisparcipaonvacuum,thecitybeganexploringwaystoincreasecizen

accesstoandinvolvementinthecitycouncil.In2000,BristolexperimentedwithConsultaonFinder,anonlinesystem

wherecizenscouldexploreallofthecouncilspubicconsultaons.96Asthisexperimentaonwasoccurring,theBrish

governmentlaunchedanaonwidee-democracyiniave,calledtheLocale-DemocracyNaonalProject97,fundedthrough

theOceoftheDeputyPrimeMinister.In2004Bristol,alongwithoneothercity,wasawardedseveralgrantsthroughthis

e-democracyiniavetopilotnewparcipatorytools,includinge-peons.98

Bristolbeganane-peonpilotprogramin2004,usingamodiedversionofthee-peonerplaormdevelopedbyNapier

University,EdinburghfortheScoshParliament.Duringthesix-monthtrial,thee-peonsystemreceived9peonsand

890signatures.Throughoutthepilotperiodoftheproject,thee-democracyprogramteamexpendedsignicanteortto

ensurethatcitycouncilorsanddepartmentmanagersunderstoodthee-peonsystemandtheirrolewithintheprocess.

Overme,theprocesshasbecomeacceptedandexpectedbycizensandcouncillors.100

Attheendofthepilotperiod,theownershipofe-peontechnologydevelopedforBristolundertheLocale-Democracy

NaonalProjectwastransferredtoBristol.101In2007,Bristol,inconjunconwithNapierUniversityandPublicI,102modied

thepilotede-peonplaormtobeersuittheneedsofplaormadministrators.Forexample,theinialplaormallowed

CASE STUDY:

Bristol, England


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27

forsignatoriestoleavecommentsforeachsignature,whichbecametoomeintensiveforplaormadministratorstomanageandwasomiedfromtheplaormredesign.103Overme,theplaormhasconnuedtodevelopandnowincludes

socialmediasharingamongotherfeatures.Bristolse-peonplaormconnuestobepartofalargere-democracy

programthatincludeswebcasngcouncilmeengs,onlinediscussionforums,andthepublicconsultaonnder.104

Bristolwasaglobalpioneerinlocalgovernmente-peoning.TheBristole-peonplaormhasbecomeamodelfor

e-peoningatthelocallevelandhasbeenreplicatedaroundtheworld.


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Key Decision Areas for Bristol, EnglandI thi eco, we epoe the ke deciio i e-peo impemeto i bito.


AlthoughBristoliniallydevelopeditse-peonsystemaspartofalargernaonal-levele-democracyiniave,Bristols

e-peonadministratorsandcouncillorsdeterminedthattheprogrambroughtvaluetobothcizensandgovernment.105

BristolsDemocracServicesTeam,whichmanagesthee-peonsystem,describedthefollowingengagementgoalsfor

Bristolse-peonsystem: 106

Informthepublicabouttheworkofthecitycouncil

Engagethepublicintheworkofthecouncil

Promotedemocracinvolvement

Thesegoalsaddressbothgovernmentandcizenneeds.Forthecitycouncil,e-peonsprovideapathtowardunderstandingthe

rolesandresponsibiliesofcitycouncillors,aswellasmakingcouncillorsmorevisibletovoters.Cizensareprovidedconvenient

accesstotheformalpolicy-makingprocess,inaddiontoincreasedaccountabilitythroughpublicresponsesandmoretransparent

decision-making.107GiventhehighconcentraonofyoungercizensinBristol,theirlowvoterturnout,andtheirhighInternet

usagerates,e-peons(alongwithothere-democracytools)wereseenasagoodwaytoincreaseparcipaon. 108


Bristolse-peonsiteclearlyoutlinestheformalstructureofthee-peonandpaperpeonprocessthroughadocumenttled

BristolCityCouncilPeonsScheme.Electronicandpaperpeonsaretreatedequallybythecouncilandmustconformtocertainrestricons,includinganexclusionofpeonsrelatedtoplanning,licensing,orissuesthatareunderappeal.

However,e-peonsoperateunderaslightlydierentmelineandprocess.Aeraleadpeonercreatesapeon,provides

thenecessarypersonalinformaon,anddetermineshowlongtheywouldliketheirpeontostayacve, 109theBristole-peon

administratorhasuptovedaystodeterminewhetherthepeonissuitableforonlineposng.Ifforsomereasonthepeon

isdeemedunsuitable,thesiteadministratorcontactstheleadpeonerandrequestschangesbeforethepeoncanbe

resubmied.Iftheleadpeonerdoesnotrespondwithchangeswithintendays,asummaryofthepeon,alongwitha

raonaleforwhyitwasnotposted,ispostedintherejectedpeonsseconofthesite.Peonscanberejectedforvarious

reasons,rangingfrominsucientsubmissioninformaontovexaous,abusiveorotherwiseinappropriatecontent. 110


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Onceane-peonisapprovedandplacedonthesite,itisopenforsignatures.Eachsignatoryisaskedtoprovidehisorher

name,postcode,andavalidemailaddressthatisveriedthroughanemailconrmaonsystem.Peonsignatoriescansee

thenamesandward(correspondingtopostcode)ofothersigners,butcontactinformaonisunavailable.Aerane-peon

isclosedforsignatures(themeframeisdeterminedbytheleadpeoner)andthepeonhasaminimumof20

signaturesfrompeoplewholive,workorstudyinBristol,thepeonissubmiedtoBristolsDemocracServicesTeamand

anacknowledgementissentviaemailtotheleadpeonerandsignatorieswithin15days.Theacknowledgementincludes


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30

informaonaboutwhatthecouncilintendstodowiththepeonandameframeforthecouncilsresponse.Peon

acknowledgementsandcouncilresponsearealsopostedonline.Councilresponsescantakeoneofthefollowingforms:

Conrmaonfromthecouncilthattheaconrequestedhasbeentaken.

Explanaonofwhytheaconcannotorwillnotbetaken,and/orifthecouncilintendstotakeadierentacon.

Anannouncementthatthecouncilintendstodebatetheissue,alongwiththedate,me,andlocaonofthatdebate.Peonsthathave

morethan3,500signatoriestriggertherighttobedebatedbythefullcouncil.Inthiscase,peonorganizersaregiventheopportunity

topresentatthatmeengandreceivewrienconrmaonoftheoutcomeofthedebate,whichisalsopostedonline.

Adeterminaonthattheissueneedsmoreinvesgaonandtheplannedstepstothatend.

ThecentralrolesinBristolse-peonprocessareplayedbytheDemocracServiceTeam,whichisresponsiblefor

communicangwithpeoners,coordinangaresponsewithrelevantcouncilorsorcommiees,andensuringthatthe

processoccurswithinthealloedmeframe.

Mgig the Cie-Goemet Iteco

Bristoltakesanacveroleinsengcizenexpectaonsaroundthee-peonprocess,includingitsoutcomesand

governmentimpact.Theformalpeonscheme,highlightedonthemaine-peonsite,isaprimarywayofsengclear

cizenexpectaonsforthee-peonprocess.Peonerswhotakethemetoreadthepeonschemewillhaveagood

ideaofwhattheycanexpectfromthepeonprocess,includingsubmissionrequirementsandthemelineforresponse.

Forthosewhomaynotreadtheenrepeonscheme,thepeonguidanceseconofthee-peonsiteoersasecon

onWhatcanpeonsachieveandsimplyoutlinestwopossibleoutcomes:bringinganissuetotheaenonofthecouncil

anddemonstrangpublicsupportordisapprovalofanissue.111

Thedetailsoutlinedinthepeonscheme,suchaspotenalresponsetypesandotherwaystosharecizenviews,help

tosetatoneofgovernmentresponsivenessandleavetheimpressionthattheBristolcouncilisgenuinelyinterestedinthe

concernsofcizens.TheBristolgovernmentfurthersthisbywebcasngcouncildiscussionsandhighlighnge-peons,

amongotherengagementacvies,onthecityshomepage.Inaddion,thestructureofthee-peonwebsitehelps

toshapethecizen-governmentinteracon.Acitywebpagedescribingthee-peonprocesshighlightssomenotable

peonsandwhattheyhaveachieved,suggesngtositevisitorsthatthee-peonprocessimpactsdecision-making.112

Whilenotnecessarilyreadbymostpeoners,thesiteuseandprivacypoliciesarealsoanimportantcomponentofwhat

peonerscanexpectfromthee-peonexperience.OntheTermsandCondionspage,theprivacypolicystateshowthe

peonerinformaonwillbeusedandhowlongitwillbekept,alongwithhowandwhycertaininformaoniscollected

andmaintained.113

However,formaldocumentaonisnottheonlywaythatBristolshapesthecizen-governmentinteracon.When

e-peonswererstlaunched,theplaormwasadversedinlocalnewspapersandthroughpromoonalpamphlets,as

wellasthroughcommunitygroupsandevents.114 Thecityalsooersanewsleerthathighlightse-democracyacvieson

itswebsite.


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Bristolwasalsoabletoleveragemediacoverageofthee-peonplaormtoencouragemoreuserstovisitthesite.One

controversialpeonin2007abouttheremovalofgraartbythearstBanksygarneredover3,000e-peonsignatures

andmediacoveragethroughoutthecountry,whichhelpedincreasecizenawarenessaboutthesystem.115Whilethecouncil

didnotcontrolthemediacoverageitself,Bristolissuednewsarclesandpressreleasestohighlightwhataconshave

beentakenasaresultofe-peons.116Indoingso,Bristolhelpedtoshapethemediacoverageofthee-peonsplaorm

andsetsimpactexpectaonsforcizenpeoners.

ItisimportanttonotethatBristolencouragescitycouncillorstoiniatepeonsusingthee-peonplaorm.Thiscreates

aspaceforcouncillorstotryandgaincommunitysupportfortheirdesiredpoliciesandfostersinteraconbetweenelected

ocialsandcommunitymembers.

Techic Coideo

Bristolscurrente-peonplaormemergedoutofthetrial-periodplaormdevelopedbyNapierUniversityandfunded

throughfederalgovernmentgrants.TheNapierUniversityplaorm,e-peoner,wasiniallydevelopedfortheScosh

ParliamentandwasmodiedtobeusedinBristol.In2007,aerthecompleonofthetrialperiod,Bristolmovedtoan

open-sourceplaormdevelopedbytheirICTcontactors,PublicI.Onmakingthistransiontotheopen-sourceplaorm,

CarolHayward,aconsultaonmanagerfromtheBristolCityCouncil,noted,Theoriginalprojecttaughtusagreatdeal

aboute-peoningandworkingwithNapier[University]gaveusanexcellentopportunitytoreallytestwhethere-peons

wereaneecvee-democracytool.Webelievethatthiswasprovenhoweverwewantedtoenhancetheservicefurther

tobothsupportourbackocefunconsmoreeecvelyestablishingthemanagementofbothonlineandhardcopy

peons.Wewerekeenanysystemalsoedinwithouropensowareapproach.117

ThisnewerplaormwasprimarilybasedontheNapierUniversitymodel,buthadgreatercustomizaonandintegraon

withBristolsotherwebdemocracyiniaves.BristolwasalreadycontracngwithPublicIforwebcasngservices,andPublicIaddedthedevelopmentofthee-peonplaormatnoaddionalcosttoitsexisngcontract.PublicIconnues

toprovidetechnicalsupporttotheBristole-peonplaorm.Thesitesprimaryuser-facingfeaturesinclude:creang

peons,signingpeons,sorngpeons(basedonstatus,118tle,date,signaturecount,orpeontarget),andalistof

signatories.Therevampedplaormaddedatrackingfuncontoallowsitemanagerstotracktheprogressofpeonsand

moreeasilymonitorpeonstatus.Italsointegratedthemanagementofpaperpeons,allowingpeonadministratorsa

singleinterfacetomonitorallpeons.119

Version2oftheBristole-peonplaormisopen-sourceandcanbefoundathp://joinup.ec.europa.eu/soware/

epeons/home.ThenewestversionofthesowareusedonthecurrentBristolsiteispubliclyoeredbyPublicIfor

3,500,alongwithayearlysite-hosngfeeof500.120Thesamesowarecanbeseenonothergovernmentpeonsites,

suchastheWestSussexCountyCouncilsite,whichisalmostidencaltoBristolssiteexceptforitsbranding.121


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Eo

TheBristolcaseisuniqueinthatthetrialperiodofthee-peonplaormwasthoroughlyevaluatedaspartoftheLocal

e-DemocracyNaonalProject.Themetricsusedaspartofthetrialincludedsiteusage,implementaoncosts,andpotenal

forimpact.Consideringthatatrialofe-peoninghadnotoccurredonthelocallevelbefore,theresultsappeared

promising.Aerasix-monthtrial,ninee-peons 122hadbeensubmied,and16monthslater,inJuly2006,theplaorm

hadreceived39e-peons.123Theplaormwasjudgedtoberelavelyresource-intensiveforlocalcouncils,butlesssofor

cizens.124

CurrentevaluaonoftheBristole-peonsystemfocusesonusageofthee-peonplaorm,intermsofthenumberof

totalsignaturesandthenumberofpeonssubmiedonayearlybasis.Thee-peonsystemhasreceivedover200,000

signatures,andthenumberofe-peonsreceivedrangesfrom21to55peryear. 125Addionally,theDemocracServices

Teamthatoverseesthee-peonplaormusessurveystogatherfeedbackfromcizenparcipants,butresponseratesare

low.126However,anecdotalevidencesuggeststhatthee-peonsystemhasengagedthepublic,especiallyyoungerpeople. 127

COnClusIOn

The epeiece o bito, e dopte o e-petitioig, poit to oth the otce d

oppotitie o oc goemet e-petitioig. The wideped cceptce d e o the

ptom pek to the e tht e-petitioig ig oth the pic d eected oici.

Whie it oe pce to oice pic coce, it o poide pic oici with me

to pomote thei poicie d detd pic opiio. bito epeimettio with it

ite how tht e-petitio eqie time d mgemet to wok eectie, d c e

tegtheed othe imteo e-democc ctiitie. leo ike thee c e tke

and applied to other localities interested in pursuing e-petition processes, making Bristol amode o thoght d eoig oc e-petitio epeimettio.


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Construcngane-peonsystemthatmeetstheunique

needsofyourjurisdiconrequiresmakingacomplexand

interconnectedsetofdecisionsasyoumovetowardand

throughimplementaon.Inparcular,asyoumovethrough

thedesignofane-peonsystem,itwillbeessenaltoregularlyrevisitthegoalsyousetattheoutsettoensure

thatyoure-peonprocesswillserveyourcommunity

aswellasyourgovernment.Whileitwillbeimportantto

addressallofthequesonsraisedinthispaperandtostudy

carefullythethreecaseswehavefeatured,therearefour

majorrecommendaonsworthemphasizing.

rEMaIn flExIblE anD aWarE Of yOur COMMunITy

COnTExT.Whatworksinoneplacemaynotworkinanother,

eveniftheplaceshavesimilarcharacteriscs.Makesurethat

theprocessthatyoucreateisabletomeetyourcommunitys

specicneeds.

ExPErIMEnT anD EvaluaTE, PublICly.E-peon

implementaonisaniteraveprocessandthepeonsystem

youcreatewilllikelychangeoverme.Beopentothatchange

andincludethepublicinmakingimportantadjustmentstothe

process.Prepareregularevaluaonsofthee-peonprogram

andreachouttothepublicfortheirfeedback.Allowthepublic

Documents

e Petition Paper Final