Official Web Sites Lag Behind In Voter Info
EmailABC News’ Huma Khan Reports: States need to considerably improve their election web sites in order to meet voters’ need for information about this year’s election, according to a new report published Thursday by The Pew Center on the States.
At a time when an increasing number of voters are turning to the Internet for information, state-administered web sites that provide polling and ballot information are difficult to find and navigate, the report said.
Pew ranked Iowa’s election web site as the best of the bunch — followed by Texas, Utah, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
New Hampshire’s election web site ranked the worst, along with those of Mississippi, Illinois, Connecticut and New Mexico.
States do not need sophisticated tools and programming to be user-friendly, the report stated. One example is Texas’ elections web site, which is easy to understand, has a clear introduction and useful links, the study found.
What web sites do need to have is basic information that voters look for, such as a polling place locators and ballot generators. Some states’ web sites, such as South Dakota’s, do not even show up on the first page in search engines.
“The people who are charged with delivering voter information have been doing a less-than-stellar job at delivering it in a timely and accurate and up-to-date way using the web,” said Micah Sifry, co-founder and editor of the blog Techpresident.com. “It’s not seen as sexy or as important as it should be.”
Sifry himself experienced the deficiencies of the system in December when he went to New York’s elections web site to find out about the primary. Instead of new data, the official web site was still displaying information about the September elections, three months after they had passed.
Updating web content can help states save money by eliminating the number of phone calls to state offices, said Kil Huh, research manager at The Pew Center on the States. It will also prevent voters from being misled to web sites that do not offer reliable data.
The full report can be accessed here.
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I have a solution for Joe the Plumber, you vote for Mcbush the man who wants to buy all the home mortgages and see if there is any money left for you to actually OWN your own business. better yet make sure you don’t earn more than $250,0000 a year vote for Obama and you’ll own your business and not pay more in taxes. how does that sound.
Posted by: Rose Szymanski | October 16, 2008, 12:52 pm 12:52 pm
joe the plumber is a registered republican he doesnt want to vote for obama
and i doubt his net in that business is upwards of 250k dollars
Posted by: Bhrandon | October 16, 2008, 12:54 pm 12:54 pm
Chair.
“Meltdown. Foreclosure. Pensions, savings wiped out.
And now our nation considers elevating one of the least experienced people ever to run for President.
Barack Obama: he hasn’t had executive experience.
This crisis would be Obama’s first crisis. In this chair.”
That is a near-perfect distillation of the experience argument against Obama. Why should Americans trust Obama in the nation’s highest office when he has no experience at all as an executive at any level of politics? Obama is, indeed, one of the least experienced people ever to run for President as a major-party nominee. He hasn’t even completed his first term in the Senate.
Obama could answer that charge if he had an extraordinary list of accomplishments, but he doesn’t. Want to watch an Obama supporter squirm? Ask them this question: Outside of getting himself elected, what has Barack Obama actually ACCOMPLISHED? He spent seven years in the state legislature without much to recommend him, and he’s done even less in the US Senate in half that time. Usually, the response will be a spluttering tirade against the Bush administration, but George Bush isn’t running for re-election, and it still doesn’t answer the question.
Of course, Obama does have some limited executive experience, but strangely, he doesn’t want to talk about the Chicago Annenberg Challenge and its eight-figure FAILURE in educational reform. In fact, he and his campaign go out of their way to smear journalists who research it and try their best to silence them.
No significant accomplishments in the legislature. Less than four years experience in national politics. No executive, military, or foreign-relations experience. The RNC rightly reminds voters of Obama’s shallow résumé and asks why we would trust him in any crisis, let alone during a time of war and financial collapse.
Posted by: Obama: Ich Bin Ein Beginner | October 16, 2008, 2:35 pm 2:35 pm
Joe wouldn’t be complaining two years ago when he was still making 120k. He’d probably be applauding Obama’s tax plan, so his whole input is 100% irrelevant. What it comes down to is the fact McCain shows too much emotion, and Obama shows none. In a conference with someone like Putin, do you want someone going off the handle and possibly suffering a heart attack, or would you rather someone able to stare down a cold stare with his own? Besides, anyone who says Palin is ready to run the country should have their head examined; Barak has a greater understanding of what it is to lead than some moose-hunting hatemonger!
Posted by: Bob | October 16, 2008, 2:51 pm 2:51 pm
Or he can vote for Obama and pay so many taxes the country will spiral into a deep recession. He’ll get to pay more taxes on the property he lives on. Then he’ll get to pay more in sales taxes on the coffee he brews in the morning. And then he’ll continue to pay more and more for gas when it skyrockets over $5 a gallon under Obama who will only pay lip service to offshore drilling and getting off our Arab and Venezuelan oil dependence while we develop more alternative energy sources. Then the products he buys will cost him more because those big businesses Obama claims he will target will pass on their increased tax burden in the form of higher prices on their products, so Joe will actually be the one paying those big business’ taxes. Then when Joe has a heart attack after realizing how much more money Obama is costing him, he’ll go to the ER, where he’ll get substandard socialized medicine that costs more in taxes to fund than what it costs now. But that crappy health care plan Obama will force on him (or else!) won’t cover the procedures he needs, so Joe will die an early death. Unfortunately, his family will take it on the chin with the death taxes they will have to pay. Maybe they won’t have to suffer all the increased taxes they pay for long, because Obama will weaken the military and cut defense spending, and sure as hell won’t do anything about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, so Joe’s survivors will be vaporized in an Iranian nuclear attack.
Obama seeks change. However, his idea of change is TAX, TAX, TAX. So in that regard, the only change he is offering is more of the same socialist liberal policies that Dems have been pushing for years.
There is one positive if Obama does manage to gain enough fraudulent ACORN votes to pull this off: when Clinton managed to squeak into the office due to the 3rd party (Reform) siphoning enough votes away from George HW Bush, he immediately soured America on the democrat party. The result was a Republican majority in the House of Reps for the first time in 40 years, a majority in the Senate. 20 more state legislatures became controlled by the Republicans, giving Republicans the majority in state governments, which hadn’t happened in more than 50 years. And for the first time since 1972, Republicans held the majority of state governorships. Obama is so liberal, he might succeed in making every state government and governor Republican, and give Republicans the largest majority it’s ever held in both the US Senate and House of Reps. So, even if Obama steals the election, his idiotic socialist policies could end up creating conditions that all the ACORN voter fraud can’t even come close to touching.
Posted by: JB | October 16, 2008, 4:33 pm 4:33 pm
That is, ACORN voter fraud will not be able to overcome.
Posted by: jb | October 16, 2008, 4:34 pm 4:34 pm
$5,000,000 middle class income I would be happy with 1/20th of that yearly income and consider myself rich. The republicans don’t get it and never will.
Posted by: Rose Szymanski | October 16, 2008, 8:03 pm 8:03 pm
I don’t know how your voting poll is but mine has names in a book with your signature so if someone registered using a fake name and the fake name doesn’t show up to vote where is the fraud. If someone voted at different precincts most of the time your face is going to be known by some one working the polls.and you would get caught. Now when the state police close a road leading to the polls thats okay and that was done 8 years ago no law broke there just plain stopping people from voting no law broke, ????
Posted by: Rose Szymanski | October 16, 2008, 10:39 pm 10:39 pm
I don’t know how your voting poll is but mine has names in a book with your signature so if someone registered using a fake name and the fake name doesn’t show up to vote where is the fraud. If someone voted at different precincts most of the time your face is going to be known by some one working the polls.and you would get caught. Now when the state police close a road leading to the polls thats okay and that was done 8 years ago no law broke there just plain stopping people from voting no law broke, ????
Posted by: Rose Szymanski | October 16, 2008, 10:39 pm 10:39 pm
Many outside organizations have fantastic websites compiling information about where the candidates stand on various issues.
The particular topic I’m interested in is science, health and research – and funding thereof. My organization’s Your Candidates-Your Health website has responses from both presidential candidates and many congressional candidates to a variety of questions on those topics. See http://www.yourcandidatesyourhealth.org.
Other similar efforts include ScienceDebate2008.com and Science, Health and Related Policies Network.
Posted by: Marilyn Walker | October 17, 2008, 1:55 pm 1:55 pm
Why I am voting Democrat!
I’m voting Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending MY MONEY than I would. I think when you spread the wealth around it is good for everybody! It’s Patriotic!
I’m voting Democrat because I believe that business should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. All profits are evil and should be confiscated for Government Redistribution.
I’m voting Democrat because I believe that MORE Government regulations and higher taxes on Business will stop Business from exporting their jobs to Countries with LESS Government regulations and lower taxes.
I’m voting Democrat because I believe terrorists should be allowed to have trials in American courts. And be able to subpoena top secret documents, soldiers, government officials, etc. to cross examine for their defense. They should have ACLU lawyers who can help intimidate Americans who serve on the juries!
I’m voting Democrat because I believe in a FREE government health care system. I believe doctors, nurses, hospitals, drug companies, etc. will gladly donate their time, products, services, facilities, etc. for FREE and that will be a better system.
I’m voting Democrat because I believe in and support trial lawyers, frivolous lawsuits and outrageous jury verdicts.
I’m voting Democrat because I believe 9/11 was an inside job to con the American people to go to war for oil.
I’m voting Democrat because I believe social security is solvent and that there is a social security lock box and I don’t believe social security is a Ponzi scheme.
I’m voting Democrat because I believe Gay Marriage should be the law of the land and will probably produce better children.
I’m voting Democrat because I believe English should not be the official language of the United States. I don’t mind pushing one for English when I use the phone.
I’m voting Democrat because I believe partial birth abortion is okay but water boarding a terrorist is disgusting.
I’m voting Democrat because I believe having a domestic terrorist like Bill Ayers as a close friend is a good thing. It allows for great relations with foreign terrorists.
I’m voting Democrat because I believe MOST AMERICANS are bitter and cling to their guns and religion. Let’s rid our country of guns and religion!
I’m voting Democrat because I believe illegal aliens deserve all the rights of ordinary Americans plus some additional rights Americans do not have.
I’m voting Democrat because I believe groups like ACORN who register felons, drug addicts, wino’s, homeless drifters, illegal aliens, dead people, children, fictional Disney characters, etc. makes my vote count more.
I’m voting Democrat because I believe celebrating the winter solstice shows compassion for the small minority of people that do not celebrate Christmas.
I’m voting Democrat because I believe hard core criminal murders and rapists deserve life and that the innocent unborn deserve death. It’s a choice I can live with.
I’m voting Democrat because I believe Bush caused Hurricane Katrina and he blew-up the levies in the ninth ward of New Orleans.
I’m voting Democrat because I believe our soldiers are AIR RAIDING villages and killing innocent people.
I’m voting Democrat because I believe sex in the Oval Office with an intern is a private matter and that everybody lies under oath about sex.
I’m votin Demokrat becuse I wus edumkated at a publick sckrool. I lik da NEA!
I’m voting Democrat because I believe that any one who is not partaking in one of the many wonderful government programs obviously has too much money and should pay higher taxes.
I’m voting Democrat because when we pull out of Iraq the terrorists will be happy and now think of us as good people.
I’m voting Democrat because freedom of speech is fine as long as it does not offend people. Can’t we all just get along?
I’m voting Democrat because I believe oil companies’ profits are wrong. I believe higher taxes on oil companies will produce lower prices at the pump.
I’m voting Democrat because I believe we need to rid ourselves of dependency on foreign oil, BUT I AM AGAINST offshore drilling for oil and natural gas, drilling in Anwar, building nuclear power plants and clean coal technology.
And finally, I’m voting Democrat because I believe Reverend Wright when he said “GODDAMN AMERICA” and “OUR CHICKENS ARE COMING HOME TO ROOST”. Hey let’s make a comfortable nest for those chickens!
Why are you voting Democrat?
Posted by: Average American Mom | October 17, 2008, 1:57 pm 1:57 pm