Research Project and Goals
"If we suppose that many natural phenomena are in effect computations, the study of computer science can tell us about the kinds of natural phenomena that can occur." ― Rudy Rucker
Project:
My DREU (Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates) research project is to successfully integrate an accessible voting ballot generator to work in conjunction with Prime III, a web-based voting system (Google Chrome).
Goals:
My DREU (Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates) research project is to successfully integrate an accessible voting ballot generator to work in conjunction with Prime III, a web-based voting system (Google Chrome).
Goals:
- Provide an enjoyable user experience for voting officials to successfully generate ballots customized to their specific voting needs
- Create an accessible voting ballot generator for Prime III
- Optimize features within Prime III and the ballot generator
A Little About Prime III
Prime III runs on the kind of touch-screen tablet with which most people are familiar. Compared to a traditional mechanical voting machine that can cost $6,000, these tablets represent a considerable savings.
The voter chooses a mode of communication — speaking or touching, or both. For visual voting, the fonts are large, and districts can choose to provide photos of candidates. Only one race or referendum appears per screen.
Juan Gilbert brought Prime III with him to a seminar on the UF campus called “Making Elections Work in the Sunshine State and Beyond,” and allowed participants to cast mock ballots. Touchscreen tablets, QR code scanners, microphones and headsets were all tested.
If a voter is blind or cannot read, a simple headset with a microphone is provided, and only the voter can hear the prompts. The voter can use textured buttons to navigate the ballot in response to the prompts or respond by speaking. The only words the voter utters — vote and continue — do not reveal voting intention. If the voter cannot speak, simply blowing into the microphone will make a selection. This feature is particularly helpful for voters with limited use of their hands, such as veterans wounded in war.
Voters who choose touch as the mode of communication can navigate the ballot as a touchscreen, selecting candidates or making referendum choices.
The machine confirms votes verbally or visually. When the voter is finished, a paper ballot is printed and turned in. The votes are recorded on paper, which is the ballot of record in the event of a recount.
Because that ballot is printed on regular paper, it represents a huge savings over traditional ballots, which average about $1 a page to produce. Election officials never know how many voters will show up, so they must print many more of these custom ballots than they’ll probably need to ensure no voter is turned away. The leftovers are discarded after the election. With Prime III, any unused paper can just be tossed in another printer.
The entire process is private, regardless of a voter’s ability, and it is secure. Since Prime III resides in the software, there is no reason for hacking since hacking would not change the paper ballot.
Source: http://explore.research.ufl.edu/the-democracy-machine.html
The voter chooses a mode of communication — speaking or touching, or both. For visual voting, the fonts are large, and districts can choose to provide photos of candidates. Only one race or referendum appears per screen.
Juan Gilbert brought Prime III with him to a seminar on the UF campus called “Making Elections Work in the Sunshine State and Beyond,” and allowed participants to cast mock ballots. Touchscreen tablets, QR code scanners, microphones and headsets were all tested.
If a voter is blind or cannot read, a simple headset with a microphone is provided, and only the voter can hear the prompts. The voter can use textured buttons to navigate the ballot in response to the prompts or respond by speaking. The only words the voter utters — vote and continue — do not reveal voting intention. If the voter cannot speak, simply blowing into the microphone will make a selection. This feature is particularly helpful for voters with limited use of their hands, such as veterans wounded in war.
Voters who choose touch as the mode of communication can navigate the ballot as a touchscreen, selecting candidates or making referendum choices.
The machine confirms votes verbally or visually. When the voter is finished, a paper ballot is printed and turned in. The votes are recorded on paper, which is the ballot of record in the event of a recount.
Because that ballot is printed on regular paper, it represents a huge savings over traditional ballots, which average about $1 a page to produce. Election officials never know how many voters will show up, so they must print many more of these custom ballots than they’ll probably need to ensure no voter is turned away. The leftovers are discarded after the election. With Prime III, any unused paper can just be tossed in another printer.
The entire process is private, regardless of a voter’s ability, and it is secure. Since Prime III resides in the software, there is no reason for hacking since hacking would not change the paper ballot.
Source: http://explore.research.ufl.edu/the-democracy-machine.html
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Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM5DKP4c4aw
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*Results may vary
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