Open Source Democracy - Tech Tools for Elections

On June 4, 2014, the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) held a mini-conference: Open Source Democracy - Tech Tools for Elections, at the New York Law School.

This event presented case studies for three efforts that put tech innovations in practice, integrated with government elections administrators.  Innovation is finally happening in elections administration.

INTRODUCTION
Amy Loprest, Executive Director, NYC Campaign Finance Board
Art Chang, Chair, New York City Voter Assistance Advisory Committee

DEMOS

7:27 NYC Votes
Eric Friedman, Assistant Executive Director for Public Affairs, NYCCFB
Michael Schubert, Associate Director, Pivotal Labs

21:57 Turbovote
Seth Flaxman, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Democracy Works

36:11 Trust the Vote
Greg Miller, Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer, OSET Foundation
http://vimeo.com/90369181

52:29 PANEL - Opportunities and Obstacles for Voting and Campaign Finance Technology
Art Chang, Chair, New York City Voter Assistance Advisory Committee
Greg Miller, Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer, OSET Foundation
Seth Flaxman, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Democracy Works
Doug Kellner, Co-Chair, New York State Board of Elections
Amy Loprest, Executive Director, NYC Campaign Finance Board
Michael J. Ryan, Executive Director, NYC Board of Elections

MODERATOR
John Kaehny, Co-Chair of the NYC Transparency Working Group

CLICK HERE to view the event.  It runs for 1:53:22.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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NYC 2013 Citywide Offices Debate Schedule

The New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) announced their 2013 Citywide Offices Debate Schedule.

MAYOR

PRIMARY ELECTION

DEMOCRATIC
Wednesday, August 21, 7PM
TV: NY1 (English), NY1 Noticias (Spanish), C-SPAN
Radio: WNYC
Sponsors: NY1, NY1 Noticias, Citizens Committee of New York City, Citizens Union, Gothamist, Hispanic Federation, Transportation Alternatives, WNYC

Tuesday, September 3, 7PM
TV: NBC 4 New York (English), Telemundo Nueva York (Spanish)
Radio: WOR Radio
Sponsors: NBC 4 New York, Telemundo Nueva York, The Wall Street Journal

REPUBLICAN
Wednesday, August 28, 7PM
TV: CBS 2 News (English), WLNY-TV 10/55 (Spanish)
Radio: 1010 WINS, WCBS Newsradio 880
Sponsors: CBS 2 News, Common Cause/NY, El Diario/La Prensa, WCBS Newsradio 880,
1010 WINS

Sunday, September 8, 11:30AM
TV: NBC 4 New York (English), Telemundo Nueva York (Spanish)
Radio: WOR Radio
Sponsors: NBC 4 New York, Telemundo Nueva York, The Wall Street Journal

RUNOFF | DEMOCRATIC (If needed)
Monday, September 23, 7PM
TV: CBS 2 News (English), WLNY-TV 10/55 (Spanish)
Radio: 1010 WINS, WCBS Newsradio 880
Sponsors: CBS 2 News, Common Cause/NY, El Diario/La Prensa, WCBS Newsradio 880,
1010 WINS

GENERAL ELECTION
Tuesday, October 22, 7PM
TV: CBS 2 News (English), WLNY-TV 10/55 (Spanish)
Radio: 1010 WINS, WCBS Newsradio 880
Sponsors: CBS 2 News, Common Cause/NY, El Diario/La Prensa, WCBS Newsradio 880,
1010 WINS

Tuesday October 29, 7PM
TV: NBC 4 New York (English), Telemundo Nueva York (Spanish)
Radio: WOR Radio
Sponsors: NBC 4 New York, Telemundo Nueva York, The Wall Street Journal

COMPTROLLER

PRIMARY ELECTION

DEMOCRATIC
Monday, August 12, 7PM
TV: NY1 (English), NY1 Noticias (Spanish)
Radio: WNYC
Sponsors: NY1, NY1 Noticias, Citizens Committee of New York City, Citizens Union, Gothamist, Hispanic Federation, Transportation Alternatives, WNYC

REPUBLICAN
Thursday August 22, 7PM
TV: CBS 2 News (English), WLNY-TV 10/55 (Spanish)
Radio: WCBS Newsradio 880
Sponsors: CBS 2 News, Common Cause/NY, El Diario/La Prensa, WCBS Newsradio 880, 1010 WINS

GENERAL ELECTION
Tuesday, October 8, 7PM
TV: NY1 (English), NY1 Noticias (Spanish)
Radio: WNYC
Sponsors: NY1, NY1 Noticias, Citizens Committee of New York City, Citizens Union, Gothamist, Hispanic Federation, Transportation Alternatives, WNYC

Thursday, October 24, 7PM
TV: CBS 2 News (English), WLNY-TV 10/55 (Spanish)
Radio: WCBS Newsradio 880
Sponsors: CBS 2 News, Common Cause/NY, El Diario/La Prensa, WCBS Newsradio 880,
1010 WINS

PUBLIC ADVOCATE

PRIMARY ELECTION

DEMOCRATIC
Thursday, August 15, 7PM
TV: NY1 (English), NY1 Noticias (Spanish)
Radio: WNYC
Sponsors: NY1, NY1 Noticias, Citizens Committee of New York City, Citizens Union, Gothamist, Hispanic Federation, Transportation Alternatives, WNYC

REPUBLICAN
Sunday, August 25, 11:30AM
TV: NBC 4 New York (English), Telemundo Nueva York (Spanish)
Radio: WOR Radio
Sponsors: NBC 4 New York, Telemundo Nueva York, The Wall Street Journal

GENERAL ELECTION
Thursday, October 10, 7PM
TV: NY1 (English), NY1 Noticias (Spanish)
Radio: WNYC
Sponsors: NY1, NY1 Noticias, Citizens Committee of New York City, Citizens Union, Gothamist, Hispanic Federation, Transportation Alternatives, WNYC

Saturday, October 19, 7PM
TV: NBC 4 New York (English), Telemundo Nueva York (Spanish)
Radio: WOR Radio
Sponsors: NBC 4 New York, Telemundo Nueva York, The Wall Street Journal

All debates listed will be broadcast and streamed live on each sponsor group’s website and on the CFB website.

Dates and times are subject to change.

All debates listed are based on candidates registered with the CFB to date. If only one candidate meets the debate criteria, the debate will be canceled.

Additional information about the debates, including foreign language access, criteria for candidate participation, and format of the debates, is available on the CFB website at DEBATE PROGRAM.

What is your suggestions to get all the candidates, minor party and independents, into the debates?










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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NYC Voter Assistance Advisory Committee

The New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) includes a division called the Voter Assistance Advisory Committee (VAAC). It is comprised of nine mem­bers whose role is to advise the CFB on voter engagement. The membership of VAAC includes:

•two members appointed by the mayor (who cannot be enrolled in the same political party)
•two members appointed by the speaker of the City Council (who cannot be enrolled in the same political party)
•one member appointed by the comptroller
•one member appointed by the borough presidents acting together
•the public advocate
•the executive director of the board of elections (or, in his or her absence, the deputy execu­tive director)
•one member appointed by the mayor in consultation with the speaker to serve as chair.

In making appointments to the committee, the New York City Charter advises that “the mayor, speaker, comptrol­ler and borough presidents shall consider experience with groups or categories of residents that are underrepresented among those who vote or among those who are registered to vote and community, voter registration, civil rights, and disabled groups.”

VAAC holds public hearings to solicit and hear testimony from members of the public, good government groups, and public officials regarding how to improve voter assistance in New York City, and makes recommendations to the CFB to help the agency develop and implement a com­prehensive voter engagement plan.

I have been attending these hearings and here are some of the suggestions:

- Pre-register to vote at 16, with automatic move to registered at 18. Would receive school civic credit.
- Allow to be poll worker at 18.
- Automatic registration when getting hunting/fishing license.
- Allow immigrants to vote in municipal elections.
- More languages on ballot.
- No excuse absentee voting.
- 15 days of early voting.
- Register to vote 10 days before election.
- Reduce the percent required for a hand recount This was to redress part of the issue of the upcoming primary/recount problem. The state legislature has voted to increase the time between the primary and the runoff to 3 weeks. They are in two different bills, so we do not know what the final bill will look like.

The VAAC produces a Paper/Digital/Video Voter Guide. The Voter Guide candidate profile is due June 12, 2013 and the Video Voter Guide script is due June 26, 2013. There also is a new app called "NYC Votes". It will include:

- Research candidate information.
- Find your poll location.
- View CFB information about candidates.
- View Social Media about candidates.
- Donate to a candidate with matching funds information.
- Allow candidates to automatically file their CFB data.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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WFP/DFS Settlement

As in all settlements, the outcome allowed both sides to claim victory.

In NY the Working Families Party owned the Data & Field Services which provided polling, phone banks, petition gathering services for endorsed candidates of the party. The claim was the candidate had to use DFS for the endorsement and payed less for the services to bypass Campaign Finance Board cost rules. The case used the campaign for Debi Rose, who ran for a City Council seat.

According to the terms of the settlement, Data & Field Services must formally separate from the Working Families Party and Working Families Organization. This includes implementing management and employment structures entirely separately from the Working Families, as well as retaining a public accounting firm and law firm that have no ties to the Working Families. All of this must be overseen by a newly appointed Board of Directors. That Board, according to the settlement, must have a majority of members who have neither been employed by nor contributed to the WFP nor even employed by or contributed to anyone who is a contributor to the WFP for at least two years. This would keep Data & Field Services from being run by current Working Families employees and contributors, as well as by employees of many of the city’s major unions.

The settlement also requires Rose’s campaign to pay $13,000 in additional fees. These will put the campaign over the city spending limit, opening it up to potential fines from the Campaign Finance Board. In addition, the campaign must make a good faith review of its books, which is estimated could mean between $40,000 and $60,000 additional charges.

If the high end of the estimate is correct, the undercharges could constitute nearly half of the $161,000 spending limit for Council campaigns.

After court adjourned in Staten Island on Tuesday, Working Families executive director Dan Cantor dismissed the settlement of the case against Data & Field Services and the Debi Rose campaign as “a very noisy lawsuit that has ended very quietly.”

But to several outside observers, Cantor’s presence at the court to handle the questions from reporters, fact sheets in hand, underscored an outcome that they say is a major change of practices for the Working Families family.

But despite the court-ordered massive overhaul of operations, Cantor rejected the idea that there were any problems with how DFS or the WFP acted through last year’s elections.

“There was nothing wrong and there will be nothing wrong now either,” Cantor said. “There will be some reforms that are good things. We want to increase the ability of both organizations to thrive, we want to increase public confidence in both, and we’re optimistic that this will do that.”

The United States Attorney’s investigation, which began in December with subpoenas to the Working Families and all its 2009 primary campaigns, is also underway. Cantor declined comment on that investigation.

Michael H. Drucker
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