PR_20081022_AnnouncingVoteReport


Vote Report Project Uses Twitter to Monitor US Elections

 

Programmers, Designers, and Activists Team Up at Nationwide Parties Friday to Build System for Real-Time Reporting of Voter Suppression Incidents

 

WHAT: Volunteer programmers, designers and activists across the country will coordinate in online chat rooms and at real-world coding parties on Friday to build Twitter Vote Report, a groundbreaking web election monitoring system.  Anyone with a Twitter.com account will be able to use their cell phones or computers to send a message notifying voters, election monitors, and the media of problems around the country.  A web map will display incidents in real-time.

 

There are three ways to participate on Friday:

1. Join us at the coding jam session headquarters in Brooklyn, NY,

2. Host your own coding jam session,

3. Join us in IRC freenode channel #VoteReport. (html links to be added.)

 

WHEN: Friday, October 24th, 11am – 6pm EST.

 

WHERE:  Headquartered at “Brooklyn Coworking” in The Change You Want To See Gallery, 84 Havemeyer St, Brooklyn NY 11211. 

 

Additional locations across the country listed here: http://wiki.votereport.us/Votereport%20Jam%20Session

 

BACKGROUND INFO:

On election day millions of Americans will go to over 200,000 distinct voting locations and using different systems and machinery to vote.  Some voters will have a terrific experiences, and others will experience the same problems we have been hearing about for years - long lines, broken machines, inaccurate voting rolls, and some that we haven't heard about before. Using Twitter.com and 1-866-Our-Vote Hotline, voters will have a new way to share these experiences with one another and ensure that the media and watchdog groups are aware of any problems.

 

From questions like "where do I vote" or "how do I make sure that my rights are being upheld," Twitter Voter Report augments these efforts by providing a new way for voters to send text messages (aka tweets) via cellphones or computers which will be aggregated and mapped so that everyone can see the Nation's voting problems in real-time.

 

A Nationwide web map will display pins identifying every zip code where Americans are waiting over 30 minutes to vote or indicating those election districts where the voting machines are not working. Collectively we will inform each other when the lines are too long and ensure that media and watchdog groups know when and where problems exist.

 

For more information:

Twitte Vote Report Website - http://www.twittervotereport.com

Twitter Vote Report Wiki – http://wiki.votereport.us

Friday Coding Jam Session info – http://wiki.votereport.us/Votereport%20Jam%20Session

 

Partners:

 

Contacts:

Allison Fine, Twitter Vote Report Founder, 914-837-5053

Matthew Cooperrider, Lead Programmer, 774-487-8152

Beka Economopoulos and Noel Hidalgo, Coding Jam Session Headquarters, Brooklyn NY, 917-202-5479

 

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