2020 was the first-ever presidential election where people cast votes via smartphone

Talib Visram

November 09, 2020 |

FastCompany |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Utah

2020 was the first presidential election where a limited group voted using a smartphone app created by Voatz, expanding access to people with disabilities, those in Covid-19 quarantine, and people out of state due to an emergency. Advocates say it is cost-effective and secure, though many disagree. Voters are biometrically identified and matched to legal records. Ballots are cast on mobile devices and stored on the blockchain until Election Day, when they are printed and counted with other mail-in ballots. Use is expected to increase in the future and pilots are planned in Brazil and other locations.

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Local high school students volunteer for national nonprofit to educate voters

Kathryn Goodwin

November 08, 2020 |

The Daily Tar Heel |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States

MyVote organized over 300 student volunteers, mostly in high school, to research candidates and their policies so that voters could have a “one-stop-shop” platform to learn about policy platforms of candidates running in national and local elections. The group covered the policies of all candidates from North Carolina, Florida, and Pennsylvania and voters used the guides at the polls to educate themselves on the candidates and issues. Since many of the volunteers are not old enough to vote, carrying out the voter education research helped them get involved in ways that are useful to the democratic process.

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As last of Georgia ballots are counted, a look at how voter turnout hit record high

Carlisa N. Johnson

November 05, 2020 |

The GroundTruth Project |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Georgia

A massive, though unofficial, multi-issue coalition made up of voter advocacy, legal, and other social justice groups, increased participation in Georgia’s elections. The groups conducted voter outreach year-round and ran ads, social media campaigns, and sent direct mail to educate voters about their rights and promote civic engagement. They also focused on systemic changes, such as pressuring the state to replace old voting machines and challenging “exact match” signature laws. Their work decreased voter suppression and the disenfranchisement of communities traditionally overlooked in the political process.

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On Election Day, Facebook and Twitter Did Better by Making Their Products Worse

Kevin Roose

November 05, 2020 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites defended against election-related disinformation campaigns by quickly identifying and removing fake accounts and putting labels and warnings on posts that made false claims of voter fraud and premature claims of victory. Instead of frictionless usability, they slowed or shut down core parts of their products such as limiting political ads, tweaking recommendation algorithms, and/or preventing sharing and comments on questionable posts. Threats will continue in the weeks ahead, but the companies have prevented widespread disinformation campaigns so far.

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Electronic ballots are effective, fast and used all over the world — so why aren't used in the U.S.?

Cristina Tardáguila

November 04, 2020 |

Poynter |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: Brazil

Electronic voting, used in 25 countries, has proven safe and efficient. In Brazil, with about 150 million voters, the 2018 presidential results were announced just over two hours after polls closed. Election officials test the system regularly, which even the machine manufacturers are not allowed to do, and hacking the machines is almost impossible because of at least 30 digital barriers to overcome. The machines are not connected to the internet, which means a hacker would have to physically possess the machine to breach it. Electronic receipts for each ballot also allow for an easy recount if needed.

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Social Media Companies Survived Election Day. More Tests Loom.

Kate Conger Daisuke Wakabayashi Mike Isaac

November 04, 2020 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube implemented pre-planned measures that limited the ability to use their sites to spread election-day disinformation. Twitter quickly added warning labels to election day tweets from political figures, including the president, that falsely claimed vote fraud or victory. Sharing and commenting on the tweets was also limited. Facebook also labeled disinformation posts but did not prevent commenting, liking, or sharing them. Some election-related videos on YouTube were removed for spreading disinformation, violating the company’s policy prohibiting deceptive practices and scams.

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How to Combat Disinformation Targeting Black Communities

Amy Yee

November 03, 2020 |

Yes! Magazine |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Several groups are working to counter disinformation aimed at the Black community by spreading accurate information and elevating local voices as trusted messengers. Organizations have disseminated accurate information via social media, used hackathons and video game launches to get Black and other youth of color interested in voting, provided shareable content to progressive organizations, and created a guide to help people identify fake accounts and bots. Nonprofit First Draft also provides a two-week disinformation training course in English and Spanish with daily lessons sent by text.

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Take Me Out To The Ballot Box

Nathaniel Rakich

November 03, 2020 |

FiveThirtyEight |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

The coronavirus made cramped or high-risk polling locations untenable so at least 39 sports arenas have opened up their facilities for voting. Their expansive size allows them to welcome large numbers of voters while maintaining social distancing protocols. Many are outdoors, which lowers the risk of transmitting the virus even further. Prompted by calls from athletes, arena owners’ site the summer’s racial-justice demonstrations as inspiration for supplying the spaces since voting is a key way to create definitive changes. Voters were thrilled to cast their ballots in a sports arena.

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Could Ranked Choice Voting Work in D.C.?

Will Warren

November 02, 2020 |

Washington City Paper |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

In ranked choice voting voters rank all candidates in order of preference so that if no candidate wins a majority, a second round of counting eliminates candidates with the fewest votes and allots voters’ second choices towards the top vote getters. The process repeats until a candidate wins a majority. Since candidates benefit from being a voter’s second choice, they have an incentive to reach out to and appeal to a broader range of voters. Maine and Takoma Park, DC are models of its effective, and DC is considering a broader implementation. Some local Virginia districts will use ranked choice in 2021.

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Here's how officials are keeping votes secure on Election Day

Guillermo Molero

November 02, 2020 |

The Daily Tar Heel |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, North Carolina

North Carolina takes a multipronged approach to election security. Unique serial numbers on mail-in ballots allow the voter to be removed from the system once they are processed. Hundreds of thousands of test ballots are run through voting machines and audited for accuracy. Polling sites are observed by bipartisan poll watchers and trained officials and voting machines are never connected to the internet. Paper receipts are securely stored in case of a recount or audit. Results are stored on encrypted data sticks and locked in high-security facilities operated by state and county boards of elections.

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