Theory•Defines the details of
the peer-to-peer voting mechanism, and explains its fit with society.•Predicts
its function as a primary electoral system,
and its effects on the delegation of executive power.•Explains
its interplay with collaborative media in the drafting of consensus norms,
such as laws, plans and policies.
Comparison•A summary comparison
of online voting systems in the public sphere.•Includes systems
that share a similar niche with Votorola, such as
MixedInk, the Transparent Federal Budget, CivicEvolution, DemocracyLab
and Metagovernment/Metascore.
Who to nominate as Mayor?
It's a difficult choice, and you need more information,
so you decided to begin close to home, by voting for a neighbour.
She's something of a leader in the local community,
someone you know pretty well, and whose opinion you respect
— a good choice for a delegate.
But now you're looking over the latest results,
and considering whether to shift your vote.
You can see how your vote has been carried from delegate to delegate,
until it reached a consensus candidate.
But there are several of them, and it's difficult to choose among them.
So you decide to speak with your neighbour, and ask her,
“Why do you think our candidate is the best choice?”
System Manual•Documenting
the overall design of Votorola as a system.•Detailing
the administrative procedures for setting up
and operating a core site in the system.
Download•Download
the latest version (0.2.1) of the executable code for your pollserver.•Upgrade releases are announced to
the mailing list
and to Freshmeat.
Changes•The project's
release history, and a summary of changes for each version.
Someone has initiated a proposal to change the Landlord and Tenant Act,
and people are voting on it.
You're concerned about the issue, because you live in an apartment block.
But you're unsure how to vote,
so you decided to vote for a friend who works at a real-estate agency.
And now you're with some neighbours and they're shaking their heads.
They say you're voting for the wrong version of the proposal —
one that puts apartment dwellers at a disadvantage.
So you call up your friend and ask, “Are you sure we're voting
for the right version of the proposal?”
Development Platform•The primary codebase is Java.
The runtime target is Unix. The Web framework is Apache Wicket.
Build scripts are Perl.
Project Files•Browse the latest source files.•These include recent modifications
that are not yet committed to the repository.
Revision Control System•Browse the Mercurial
repository
for the release trunk.•See the access
instructions
in the contributor's guide.
Java API•Developer's documentation
for the Java application programming interface (API).
You are crossing the local park, when you meet someone who is carrying a sign.
She says she is campaigning to improve the park, and has a plan.
She explains the plan to you, and it sounds pretty good.
So you cast a vote for her from your mobile phone.
Later that night, you're looking over the details on her Web site.
You're thinking, “Maybe there's something I can do, to help.”
Reference Installation•Toronto's
pollserver at http://t.zelea.com:8080/v/w/
is running the latest version of the code,
for use as a test prototype and development reference.
User's Guides•A
Web User's Guide is provided by each pollserver•The
Mail User's Guide is a rough draft.
The mail interface is relatively undeveloped.
Mailing List•For announcements,
questions, bug reports, and general discussion.
Licence•Votorola's licence
is MIT — an OSI approved, open source licence.
Contributors•Who we are.•Accessing the revision control system.•Acknowledgment in project files.
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| chri. |
So which draft of the EU constitution are you voting for, Nick?
Or do you have your own draft, like me?
|
| nick |
You're kidding me, Christabel. I'm voting against the whole
thing. Brussels can stuff it.
|
| chri. |
Are you out of your tree? Brussels is opposed to it. If we
don't reach *some* kind of agreement, then we're stuck
with whatever the Eurocrats give us. Nick, you're voting
for the status quo!
|
| |
...
|
| chri. |
Look Nicky, you know me, we see eye-to-eye. Why not vote
for me on this one?
|
| nick |
Sure Chris... if it matters to you.
|
| chri. |
You see, I've gathered quite a few votes for my draft.
It's no big deal, I've only made a few changes here and there.
But they listen to me. The drafter I'm voting for (she has a lot
of votes) she's using my changes! And so on, down the line.
It's kind of fun.
|
