1
00:00:02,100 --> 00:00:15,680
rc3 hacc preroll music
2
00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:21,480
Herald: Welcome to the hackrf channel.
Today under the title Patching Democracy.
3
00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:28,130
Today we're talking about the era of
digitalization, as well as about the
4
00:00:28,130 --> 00:00:32,780
understanding of the enormous importance
of digital tools in both private and
5
00:00:32,780 --> 00:00:41,129
public life, because we need it to reduce
the world's complexity to an amount that
6
00:00:41,129 --> 00:00:46,345
we can actually handle. This is something
that is very important, for example, in
7
00:00:46,345 --> 00:00:51,809
democracies. Especially when talking about
decision making, like for example, the
8
00:00:51,809 --> 00:00:56,140
voting advice application that we have in
Germany, the Wahl-o-mat is a very good
9
00:00:56,140 --> 00:01:03,520
example of making parties comparable to
common people all over the place. But
10
00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:08,150
those machines are like those Wahl-o-mats
are very expensive and thus they are only
11
00:01:08,150 --> 00:01:15,080
available for larger elections. And this
is a problem that is actually handleable.
12
00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:19,930
This is what Till Sander does with his
voting advice application that is
13
00:01:19,930 --> 00:01:28,848
called... wait a second
14
00:01:28,848 --> 00:01:32,637
with his open election compass
and he actually was approached by the
15
00:01:32,637 --> 00:01:38,552
small city of Lüdenscheid to develop
something that could actually do something
16
00:01:38,552 --> 00:01:42,710
that the Wahl-o-mat also does. And when he
found out that this is actually something
17
00:01:42,710 --> 00:01:46,825
that needs to be provided also for smaller
elections and that is actually affordable,
18
00:01:46,825 --> 00:01:54,000
he is actually a web designer, decided to
do it in a bigger way. So he wanted to
19
00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:59,132
make it open source and thus created this
platform that he now talks about in his
20
00:01:59,132 --> 00:02:06,091
lecture that we provide to you right now.
You can also ask questions that will be
21
00:02:06,091 --> 00:02:13,050
answered in the following Q&A and on
Twitter, as well as on the IRC. Under the
22
00:02:13,050 --> 00:02:21,980
hashtag rc3hacc and the channel rc3-hacc.
Now enjoy the talk.
23
00:02:21,980 --> 00:02:28,430
Till Sanders: Welcome to Patching
Democracy. This is a short introduction to
24
00:02:28,430 --> 00:02:32,731
applications like the German Wahl-o-mat
and why we might not need to hack
25
00:02:32,731 --> 00:02:38,140
democracy. In this talk, I will
demonstrate how we can improve elections
26
00:02:38,140 --> 00:02:44,907
and political education everywhere, thanks
to free and open source software.
27
00:02:44,907 --> 00:02:49,806
Researchers of the Friedrich-Ebert-
Foundation found that only a third of the
28
00:02:49,806 --> 00:02:56,790
population believes in a brighter future.
Less than half of our society is satisfied
29
00:02:56,790 --> 00:03:01,621
with how our democracy works. In parts of
Germany, this drops even further to about
30
00:03:01,621 --> 00:03:10,422
a third. Even worse, three out of four
Germans feel like politicians don't care
31
00:03:10,422 --> 00:03:18,470
about their concerns. And lastly, many
people even agree that it doesn't make a
32
00:03:18,470 --> 00:03:25,989
difference which parties form the
government. Studies like these question
33
00:03:25,989 --> 00:03:33,450
the state our democracy is in. Is our
democracy broken? Let's take a look at
34
00:03:33,450 --> 00:03:41,930
some other results of the same study. Only
1.3 % want an authoritative figure with
35
00:03:41,930 --> 00:03:47,792
extensive powers to make the law. With the
rise of the extreme right this is a good
36
00:03:47,792 --> 00:03:54,770
thing. While 88% of us think that
politicians make more promises than they
37
00:03:54,770 --> 00:04:03,735
can keep, the majority acknowledges that
politicians do have a difficult job. And
38
00:04:03,735 --> 00:04:08,769
out of several problems, a great majority
identified a lack of participation in
39
00:04:08,769 --> 00:04:16,828
elections as the biggest problem. Our
democracy generally fails to make everyone
40
00:04:16,828 --> 00:04:23,490
happy and to be fair, that's somewhat the
point. But while many people have issues
41
00:04:23,490 --> 00:04:28,069
with our democracy, they also seem to
believe that it is still the way to go.
42
00:04:28,069 --> 00:04:34,206
Democracy is not broken. It is just our
implementation of it that is experiencing
43
00:04:34,206 --> 00:04:41,699
technical difficulties. Hi, my name is
Till, and I'm here to fix this. Not alone,
44
00:04:41,699 --> 00:04:48,479
of course, but I'm happy to be, you know,
someone just doing what he knows best and
45
00:04:48,479 --> 00:04:54,690
I like all those numbers might suggest I'm
not even a political scientist. I'm, in
46
00:04:54,690 --> 00:05:00,900
fact a designer and web developer. And as
such what I enjoy most is the challenge of
47
00:05:00,900 --> 00:05:07,849
making complex concepts easily accessible,
preferably with beautiful user interfaces.
48
00:05:07,849 --> 00:05:14,135
I'd like to first introduce you to the
idea and short history of voting advice
49
00:05:14,135 --> 00:05:19,229
applications. We will then dig in a little
deeper and establish important principles
50
00:05:19,229 --> 00:05:23,860
that make VAAs successful. There's also
going to be a little hands on with the
51
00:05:23,860 --> 00:05:28,861
FOSS project I have developed in the last
year. Once I've shown you the tools, I'll
52
00:05:28,861 --> 00:05:32,460
talk about how you can run your own
election compass and what to consider when
53
00:05:32,460 --> 00:05:41,770
doing so. And off we go! Our story begins
in the Netherlands. In 1989, the Dutch
54
00:05:41,770 --> 00:05:45,940
Citizenship Foundation, the documentation
center of Dutch political parties and the
55
00:05:45,940 --> 00:05:50,490
faculty of Political Management of the
University of Twente start a collaboration
56
00:05:50,490 --> 00:05:55,160
to develop the Stemwijzer. A booklet
containing 60 statements found in the
57
00:05:55,160 --> 00:06:02,182
programs of political parties and a
diskette. Well, it's 1989. The idea proves
58
00:06:02,182 --> 00:06:05,649
popular and evolves to the first Internet
election compass for the Dutch
59
00:06:05,649 --> 00:06:14,125
parliamentary elections in 1998. Although
the project can only attract 6500 voters,
60
00:06:14,125 --> 00:06:19,994
subsequent implementations in 2002 and
2003 attract about 2 million voters, which
61
00:06:19,994 --> 00:06:27,020
quickly become 5 million voters in 2006,
which is about a third of the entire Dutch
62
00:06:27,020 --> 00:06:35,275
population. Success began spreading to
other countries, the first election
63
00:06:35,275 --> 00:06:41,276
compass I myself ever came across was the
German Wahl-o-mat, based on the StemWijzer
64
00:06:41,276 --> 00:06:47,180
itself, the Federal Agency for Civic
Education, the BPB, released the first
65
00:06:47,180 --> 00:06:57,060
Wahl-o-mat in 2002. It's fair to say that
the VAA concept is now well-established in
66
00:06:57,060 --> 00:07:03,528
Germany and other countries. Usage in
Germany has increased to 33% of cast votes
67
00:07:03,528 --> 00:07:10,000
in 2017. Think about that for a moment.
One in three voters has used the Wahl-o-
68
00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:15,669
mat at some point before going to the
ballot. As software projects of the German
69
00:07:15,669 --> 00:07:20,529
government go, this might well be the most
successful yet, doubly so if you consider
70
00:07:20,529 --> 00:07:28,099
the costs of some spectacular failures in
the past. So what did the first voting
71
00:07:28,099 --> 00:07:32,809
advice applications actually look like?
Let's take a look at the first Wahl-o-mat
72
00:07:32,809 --> 00:07:37,400
from nearly two decades ago. The Internet
was quite different back in those days.
73
00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:42,370
Many user interface patterns were yet to
be discovered or refined and users were
74
00:07:42,370 --> 00:07:47,909
less experienced. On a side note.
Technically, this website from 18 years
75
00:07:47,909 --> 00:07:53,849
ago still runs perfectly fine in a modern
day browser. Web technologies are amazing.
76
00:07:53,849 --> 00:07:59,247
Anyway, despite these slight difficulties
and the Wahl-o-mat being a new concept,
77
00:07:59,247 --> 00:08:05,334
there are very few instructions. This is
because the core concept was and still is
78
00:08:05,334 --> 00:08:12,885
incredibly simple. You are presented with
a sequence of statements or a thesis. You
79
00:08:12,885 --> 00:08:18,499
can choose to approve or reject or remain
neutral to a thesis. If you don't really
80
00:08:18,499 --> 00:08:24,887
understand the meaning or the issue behind
it, you can also skip a thesis. After
81
00:08:24,887 --> 00:08:29,362
about 30 statements, you can choose
categories that are more important to you,
82
00:08:29,362 --> 00:08:35,709
so they are counting double. The political
parties or candidates answer the same
83
00:08:35,709 --> 00:08:41,415
theses. At the end your answers are
compared to those of the parties showing
84
00:08:41,415 --> 00:08:50,880
you potential matches. Fast forward to
today. The idea is about 30 years old now.
85
00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:55,940
In this time it spread not only to Germany
but also to Belgium, Finland, Denmark,
86
00:08:55,940 --> 00:09:02,990
Portugal, Norway, Sweden, Austria,
Switzerland and many other countries,
87
00:09:02,990 --> 00:09:08,850
continents even. The teams behind
StemWijzer inspired most European
88
00:09:08,850 --> 00:09:11,787
countries and others around the world.
89
00:09:17,940 --> 00:09:22,297
Let's talk about VAAs in more depth. What
90
00:09:22,297 --> 00:09:29,161
are they actually good for? Why do people
use them? How do their mechanisms work and
91
00:09:29,161 --> 00:09:38,200
does their popularity make them dangerous?
So what do we actually want to achieve?
92
00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:46,180
What is the purpose of voting advice
applications? Since their inception, the
93
00:09:46,180 --> 00:09:51,820
target group are actually young, even
first-time voters. I guess the reasoning
94
00:09:51,820 --> 00:09:57,390
behind this is that the older people get
the more experienced they are with the
95
00:09:57,390 --> 00:10:03,406
political landscape, or at least they
should be. The term voting advice
96
00:10:03,406 --> 00:10:10,227
application suggests that the purpose is
to advise users on who to vote for. Now, I
97
00:10:10,227 --> 00:10:15,460
must say, I've been struggling with this
name. I find it counterintuitive because
98
00:10:15,460 --> 00:10:20,763
from what I've seen, this is actually not
the purpose of these projects. And that's
99
00:10:20,763 --> 00:10:26,000
good because imagine for a second what
this would mean. Many VAAs are designed
100
00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:31,910
and controlled by government agencies. So
who would want to live in a democracy
101
00:10:31,910 --> 00:10:36,803
where the government gives you advice on
who to vote for in the election? So
102
00:10:36,803 --> 00:10:42,317
although it's called a voting advice
application, the Wahl-o-mat does not
103
00:10:42,317 --> 00:10:47,177
actually want to give you advice. It's
even written there on the very first page,
104
00:10:47,177 --> 00:10:54,870
right above the start button. The Wahl-o-
mat is not voting advice, but an offer of
105
00:10:54,870 --> 00:11:02,920
information about elections and politics.
I found this disclaimer in every VAA I
106
00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:11,189
have come across so far. OK, so the
purpose of VAAs is, despite their name,
107
00:11:11,189 --> 00:11:21,606
not to give voting advice. Good. Except,
they kind of do, don't they? We don't give
108
00:11:21,606 --> 00:11:26,620
you any advice well, we do, but don't take
our word for it. We've warned you not to
109
00:11:26,620 --> 00:11:35,070
take this as an advice. Now go ahead and
get not-an-advice. Maybe it's just me, but
110
00:11:35,070 --> 00:11:42,722
I think this is quite german. VAAs have a
positive impact on political education.
111
00:11:42,722 --> 00:11:48,753
This might be the main aspect, they have
originally been designed for. VAAs want to
112
00:11:48,753 --> 00:11:53,950
have a positive impact on political
education. As I understand it, this topic
113
00:11:53,950 --> 00:11:59,650
sadly needs more research. But with the
research done so far, we can assume that
114
00:11:59,650 --> 00:12:05,080
this is indeed the case. It appears to be
uncertain to what extent exactly, and this
115
00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:11,010
will also depend on the individual VAA.
But there is a positive impact. VAAs do
116
00:12:11,010 --> 00:12:15,660
not improve the knowledge about political
structures like how the ballot works, how
117
00:12:15,660 --> 00:12:20,350
the allotment of seats in parliament
works, etc. But they can improve knowledge
118
00:12:20,350 --> 00:12:25,004
about the policy issues, what the upcoming
election is about, what parties there are,
119
00:12:25,004 --> 00:12:30,820
and where the parties stand. VAAs also
lead to discussions about these issues and
120
00:12:30,820 --> 00:12:36,970
parties which can also improve political
knowledge in peer groups. So as far as we
121
00:12:36,970 --> 00:12:42,649
know today, this claim is true and it is
an important benefit of election compasses
122
00:12:42,649 --> 00:12:48,300
or VAAs, because as research shows, most
people in Germany are able to place
123
00:12:48,300 --> 00:12:53,180
parties on the spectrum of left and right
correctly. But at the same time, many
124
00:12:53,180 --> 00:12:58,567
people are unable to place parties
correctly when it comes to policy issues.
125
00:12:58,567 --> 00:13:03,530
So missing political knowledge and
misinformation can actually lead to people
126
00:13:03,530 --> 00:13:13,498
voting against their own interests. VAAs
promote electoral participation. What
127
00:13:13,498 --> 00:13:17,690
makes people vote? To answer this
question, we can take a look at the
128
00:13:17,690 --> 00:13:23,210
reasons why some people don't. And one of
the main reasons why some people don't
129
00:13:23,210 --> 00:13:28,470
vote is because they don't feel like their
position is reflected by any of the
130
00:13:28,470 --> 00:13:35,352
existing parties. Our political system is
complex and our political landscape, our
131
00:13:35,352 --> 00:13:41,320
parties and their programs doubly so.
People that have a better understanding
132
00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:47,976
and more knowledge of the choices they
have… are more likely to cast a vote. Just
133
00:13:47,976 --> 00:13:52,924
imagine you're helping a friend who has no
clue about computers decide on a graphics
134
00:13:52,924 --> 00:13:59,346
card. They either get confused as hell
very quickly or they be like, well, I
135
00:13:59,346 --> 00:14:03,563
don't know, do I even need one? My laptop
runs fine and it doesn't have one. Can we
136
00:14:03,563 --> 00:14:10,020
get pizza now? You see, being able to make
an informed decision can make a huge
137
00:14:10,020 --> 00:14:17,030
difference. And VAAs can help with that.
And research tells us that VAA users can
138
00:14:17,030 --> 00:14:25,390
be 2% to 12% more likely to go to the
ballot. The last important background
139
00:14:25,390 --> 00:14:30,940
topic I would like to touch on is the
matching algorithm. These algorithms are
140
00:14:30,940 --> 00:14:36,162
still subject to debate and some are
frequently criticized. I'll spare you the
141
00:14:36,162 --> 00:14:41,000
history, and instead will jump right in
because, one, this topic deserves a talk
142
00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:47,320
of its own. And two, that talk should not
be held by me. But I'll share with you
143
00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:53,132
what I know. The matching algorithm is
responsible for calculating your result.
144
00:14:53,132 --> 00:14:59,808
After you answered all the theses, your
answers are compared to those of the
145
00:14:59,808 --> 00:15:06,876
parties. The parties get more points the
more you agree with them. Sounds simple?
146
00:15:06,876 --> 00:15:15,848
But how do you calculate this exactly? Say
we have an agreement scale of 10 to -10. I
147
00:15:15,848 --> 00:15:23,402
reply to a different thesis with an
agreement of 3. Party A is even more into
148
00:15:23,402 --> 00:15:33,216
this and goes for 9. Party B is not a fan
of this thesis and answers with -3. How
149
00:15:33,216 --> 00:15:38,904
many points will Party A and B get for
this thesis? There are two approaches to
150
00:15:38,904 --> 00:15:44,560
this. The first has been coined the
proximity model, and as the term suggests,
151
00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:51,510
it focuses on the distance between two
points. In this case, Party A and Party B
152
00:15:51,510 --> 00:15:57,871
are the same distance to my answer, so
they will get the same amount of points.
153
00:15:57,871 --> 00:16:03,630
Seems logical at first, but is this really
the best approach to this? I might not
154
00:16:03,630 --> 00:16:08,533
fully agree with Party A, but I am on the
same side, whereas party B is on the other
155
00:16:08,533 --> 00:16:15,119
side. Wouldn't it be safe to assume that
party A is a better match for me? Well,
156
00:16:15,119 --> 00:16:23,970
probably, yes. The idea is called the
directional model. It awards more points
157
00:16:23,970 --> 00:16:31,679
if the voter and the party go in the same
direction. In our scenario, party A will
158
00:16:31,679 --> 00:16:39,126
receive more points than party B because
it is on the same side as I am. Following
159
00:16:39,126 --> 00:16:45,867
these models, one can easily create a
matching algorithm. Why not all VAAs make
160
00:16:45,867 --> 00:16:55,525
their algorithm's public, there are a few
well known ones. The first is the famous
161
00:16:55,525 --> 00:17:01,379
city block algorithm. It belongs to the
proximity model and is still used by the
162
00:17:01,379 --> 00:17:08,159
Wahl-o-mat albeit with only three options,
which has been criticized in the past. In
163
00:17:08,159 --> 00:17:13,551
this chart, you can see the users answer
in the rows and the party's answer in the
164
00:17:13,551 --> 00:17:21,191
columns. In this area where they meet,
you'll find the score for this thesis. For
165
00:17:21,191 --> 00:17:26,817
example, if I choose to strongly approve
the thesis, I'm in the first row. If the
166
00:17:26,817 --> 00:17:32,200
party agrees with that we meet in the
first cell and the party gets the maximum
167
00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:39,820
score of 1 for this thesis. If the party,
however, rejects the thesis, 1st row, 4th
168
00:17:39,820 --> 00:17:48,110
column, it will only get a score of -5.
You see, the city block algorithm strictly
169
00:17:48,110 --> 00:17:54,159
follows the proximity model: the closer
user and party become, the higher the
170
00:17:54,159 --> 00:18:02,360
score. The classic example of the
direction and what is the scalar
171
00:18:02,360 --> 00:18:07,590
algorithm, the direction or side is far
more important here and a party cannot
172
00:18:07,590 --> 00:18:13,600
receive a positive score as long as it is
on the other side of the user's opinion.
173
00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:19,219
Note also that this must mean that if
either the user or the party choose a
174
00:18:19,219 --> 00:18:27,758
neutral position, the score will always be
zero. So why both algorithms have their
175
00:18:27,758 --> 00:18:34,559
strengths, our goal is to find a model,
thats prediction is as close as possible
176
00:18:34,559 --> 00:18:40,929
to what the user votes for in the end. And
there's another group of algorithms that
177
00:18:40,929 --> 00:18:50,460
tend to yield better results. I'm talking
about hybrid algorithms that try to
178
00:18:50,460 --> 00:18:56,180
combine the approaches of the proximity
and directional model. As you can see,
179
00:18:56,180 --> 00:19:02,771
proximity as well as direction play a role
in the scoring. Looking at the colors, you
180
00:19:02,771 --> 00:19:08,311
can see that this now looks a bit like the
first algorithm, the city block algorithm,
181
00:19:08,311 --> 00:19:14,230
but the green line fades a little in the
center. This is the influence of the
182
00:19:14,230 --> 00:19:25,945
scalar algorithm focusing on the
direction. So which one is best? I'm
183
00:19:25,945 --> 00:19:32,549
afraid we don't know for sure. As always,
data will tell. It also depends on your
184
00:19:32,549 --> 00:19:38,649
intentions and design choices. What we do
know is that algorithms based on the
185
00:19:38,649 --> 00:19:43,720
proximity model tend to favor temperate
parties, while those based on their
186
00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:51,206
directional model gently pushes users to
the extreme ends. Considering this, hybrid
187
00:19:51,206 --> 00:19:58,299
algorithms should yield more balanced
results. We must not forget, though, that
188
00:19:58,299 --> 00:20:04,129
at the end of the day they are still only
models, so don't expect any of them to be
189
00:20:04,129 --> 00:20:14,590
incredibly accurate. The OpenElectionCompass
is a free and open source software
190
00:20:14,590 --> 00:20:20,899
with a simple mission: making voting
advice applications available to every
191
00:20:20,899 --> 00:20:28,218
election to support political education
and democracy everywhere. Running your own
192
00:20:28,218 --> 00:20:34,680
election compass can be a costly endeavor.
No more. With the OpenElectionCompass, we
193
00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:41,080
have a system that is free, transparent,
user friendly and accessible. Unlike
194
00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:46,440
agencies who only run an election compass
every few years, a project like this can
195
00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:53,200
focus on continuous improvement. But
enough promises. Let's take a look at the
196
00:20:53,200 --> 00:21:00,072
features. The OpenElectionCompass was
designed to be easy to use and accessible.
197
00:21:00,072 --> 00:21:06,872
The design is minimalistic, so users are
not distracted. Unlike solutions like the
198
00:21:06,872 --> 00:21:14,241
Wahl-o-mat, it makes use of the available
screen size with big theses and buttons.
199
00:21:14,241 --> 00:21:19,489
Clear color coding provides visual
feedback, and as you can see, the
200
00:21:19,489 --> 00:21:26,128
navigation is not based on previous next
buttons, but scrolling. This is quicker
201
00:21:26,128 --> 00:21:31,730
and far more intuitive, especially on
mobile devices. To make this experience
202
00:21:31,730 --> 00:21:37,159
even smoother, a big, friendly green
button helps guide the user through the
203
00:21:37,159 --> 00:21:43,330
entire process. Whenever it's time to move
on, it just pops up ready to take you to
204
00:21:43,330 --> 00:21:50,159
the next step. The OpenElectionCompass is
the first VAA software to pioneer this
205
00:21:50,159 --> 00:21:57,369
navigation concept. With great success, I
might add. Everything you're seeing here
206
00:21:57,369 --> 00:22:01,650
is also screen reader and keyboard
friendly. These things get easily
207
00:22:01,650 --> 00:22:06,999
overlooked. But as I said, being a
continuous project, we can focus on
208
00:22:06,999 --> 00:22:14,820
important details like these. After we
have finished with the thesis, we are
209
00:22:14,820 --> 00:22:20,611
guided to the selection of the parties.
Notice that unlike most VAA's, there's no
210
00:22:20,611 --> 00:22:25,559
additional step here where we would be
asked to select some theses that are more
211
00:22:25,559 --> 00:22:30,779
important to us. This is another way
OpenElectionCompass is improving and
212
00:22:30,779 --> 00:22:35,799
speeding up the process. We are removing
the cognitive overhead of going through
213
00:22:35,799 --> 00:22:43,519
all these theses again. Instead, you can
mark the thesis as important, right while
214
00:22:43,519 --> 00:22:49,986
you're answering. Usability wise, this
makes a lot more sense. But back to the
215
00:22:49,986 --> 00:22:56,020
parties. We simply select the parties we
would like to compare. Again, keyboard and
216
00:22:56,020 --> 00:23:03,059
screen reader friendly, and proceed to the
results. Here we have the classic
217
00:23:03,059 --> 00:23:11,037
percentage based result view. With most
VAAs, this is pretty much it. Usually you
218
00:23:11,037 --> 00:23:17,068
can go into the thesis one by one and see
the statements of the parties, but I
219
00:23:17,068 --> 00:23:23,559
believe this is the most important part
and should not be hidden away. Showing
220
00:23:23,559 --> 00:23:31,749
these statements should be the default. So
I made it the default, when we scroll
221
00:23:31,749 --> 00:23:38,030
further, we can read the answers of all
selected parties in an easy, color coded,
222
00:23:38,030 --> 00:23:49,129
chat like format. And that's it. A simple
to use, accessible, beautiful state of the
223
00:23:49,129 --> 00:24:02,185
art and free voting advice application.
Now comes my favorite part. How do you get
224
00:24:02,185 --> 00:24:08,540
all this content, theses, the parties, the
statements into the OpenElectionCompass?
225
00:24:08,540 --> 00:24:14,220
Well, of course, by using a big JSON
configuration file, that's hardly
226
00:24:14,220 --> 00:24:21,131
exciting, but you know what, JSON is
simple, but for a non-programmer, this is
227
00:24:21,131 --> 00:24:26,720
a pretty daunting task. And even for
programmers working with big JSON files to
228
00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:33,868
manage content in multiple languages is
not something particularly fun. Especially
229
00:24:33,868 --> 00:24:40,399
if it involves countless emails back and
forth to incorporate small changes. So
230
00:24:40,399 --> 00:24:48,321
guess what? There's a tool for that. Now
everyone can read and write the JSON
231
00:24:48,321 --> 00:24:52,326
configuration files using a friendly
visual editor called the configuration
232
00:24:52,326 --> 00:25:00,073
editor. It makes adding parties, thesis,
and statements a breeze. Simply fill in
233
00:25:00,073 --> 00:25:05,077
the forms and download your ready to go
configuration file. It even supports
234
00:25:05,077 --> 00:25:11,789
adding every content in multiple languages
and handles images for you. There is 100%
235
00:25:11,789 --> 00:25:17,609
feature parity between the configuration
files and the editor. And while this is
236
00:25:17,609 --> 00:25:23,789
only the first step in making the creation
of VAAs more accessible, it is a big step
237
00:25:23,789 --> 00:25:33,850
up from any other tool. And there's more.
Let me introduce some of the smaller
238
00:25:33,850 --> 00:25:40,799
features that make the OpenElectionCompass
special. I really want to make
239
00:25:40,799 --> 00:25:46,470
this technology accessible for everyone,
so I took the time to create a single file
240
00:25:46,470 --> 00:25:51,990
deployment solution that would fit the
software, your content and images, all in
241
00:25:51,990 --> 00:25:59,014
a single HTML file. Is that the most
performant solution? No, but let's be
242
00:25:59,014 --> 00:26:08,820
reasonable. It's perfectly fine for a
small town – Definitions: Theses must be
243
00:26:08,820 --> 00:26:14,629
short and precise. Sometimes this makes it
difficult for users to understand them
244
00:26:14,629 --> 00:26:20,179
because of words or abbreviations they
might not know. To help with this, you can
245
00:26:20,179 --> 00:26:29,210
easily provide small helpers – Solid
navigation: As we have seen, the one page
246
00:26:29,210 --> 00:26:34,989
design approach comes with lots of
benefits. To make sure no one gets annoyed
247
00:26:34,989 --> 00:26:40,569
by too much scrolling around, an
intelligent menu is always right at hand.
248
00:26:40,569 --> 00:26:47,780
That and the big green button helps
getting around and no time at all.
249
00:26:49,350 --> 00:26:54,470
Multilingual: The OpenElectionCompass has
been multilingual since the very
250
00:26:54,470 --> 00:27:00,744
beginning, and not just the interface, no.
You can easily provide theses and answers,
251
00:27:00,744 --> 00:27:06,029
everything in multiple languages, even
though this is not a big issue in Germany,
252
00:27:06,029 --> 00:27:10,900
I was thinking about countries like
Switzerland where this can be essentially
253
00:27:10,900 --> 00:27:18,239
really – Kiosk mode: You can set up a
terminal in a public place and put your
254
00:27:18,239 --> 00:27:23,039
election compass in kiosk mode, this mode
will ask users nicely to reset the
255
00:27:23,039 --> 00:27:27,039
application once they are done or will do
so automatically after a period of
256
00:27:27,039 --> 00:27:34,377
inactivity. Algorithms: The
OpenElectionCompass has a flexible
257
00:27:34,377 --> 00:27:38,161
matching implementation that allows it to
support different answer styles and
258
00:27:38,161 --> 00:27:46,659
algorithms. Because we don't know what
might be the best fit for you. Privacy first
259
00:27:46,659 --> 00:27:52,649
statistics: The OpenElectionCompass now
comes with an integrated tool to collect
260
00:27:52,649 --> 00:27:59,659
statistics in a privacy first design.
Users can opt in to submit their answers
261
00:27:59,659 --> 00:28:05,020
anonymously for research. They can also
help to improve the quality of the data
262
00:28:05,020 --> 00:28:10,970
set by answering more questions regarding
their age, gender, education and more.
263
00:28:10,970 --> 00:28:14,958
I know that this is a difficult topic,
so I am taking extra care to get this
264
00:28:14,958 --> 00:28:20,671
right. We certainly don't want to become a
privacy nightmare. We want to help people
265
00:28:20,671 --> 00:28:31,213
support science in the most privacy caring
way possible. By now, you probably want
266
00:28:31,213 --> 00:28:39,080
to get started building your own election
compass. Next up, DIY. There are a number
267
00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:45,120
of principles when creating a VAA, written
down in the Lausanne declaration. If you
268
00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:49,196
want to run your own election compass, I
encourage you to read it. It's not even
269
00:28:49,196 --> 00:28:56,452
long. Let's go over the most important
points quickly. In order to contribute
270
00:28:56,452 --> 00:29:01,740
sustainably to the good functioning of
democracy, VAAs should be open,
271
00:29:01,740 --> 00:29:08,862
transparent, impartial and
methodologically sound. This is important
272
00:29:08,862 --> 00:29:14,220
because if you're not transparent, there's
a good chance that some people or even
273
00:29:14,220 --> 00:29:20,299
parties try to deny your legitimacy or
impartiality. You should really follow the
274
00:29:20,299 --> 00:29:27,350
approach: We have nothing to fear because
we have nothing to hide. A VAA should be
275
00:29:27,350 --> 00:29:35,380
freely accessible to all citizens. This is
fairly obvious, but anyway, make sure that
276
00:29:35,380 --> 00:29:41,330
your VAA does not require any form of
payment. This could be the paywall of a
277
00:29:41,330 --> 00:29:46,399
media outlet you've partnered with for a
promotion. But this could also be less
278
00:29:46,399 --> 00:29:51,610
obvious, a mandatory collection of
statistics. And lastly, keep in mind that
279
00:29:51,610 --> 00:29:57,289
there are probably more people with
disabilities that you might be aware of.
280
00:29:57,289 --> 00:30:01,619
The OpenElectionCompass helps you with
that as it provides decent screen reader
281
00:30:01,619 --> 00:30:05,968
support and generally follows
accessibility guidelines. But you should
282
00:30:05,968 --> 00:30:12,289
also apply these design principles for any
other content you might create around your
283
00:30:12,289 --> 00:30:20,169
VAA. A VAA should aim at the inclusion of
as many parties or candidates that are on
284
00:30:20,169 --> 00:30:25,759
the ballot as possible. The criteria for
the exclusion of parties and candidates
285
00:30:25,759 --> 00:30:31,929
should be publicly available and
justified, and also parties and candidates
286
00:30:31,929 --> 00:30:38,899
should not be excluded from the tour for
ideological reasons. I think this might be
287
00:30:38,899 --> 00:30:44,850
the most obvious rule, but also the most
important. We want to help voters make
288
00:30:44,850 --> 00:30:50,459
informed choices. So we need as many
parties to participate as possible. This
289
00:30:50,459 --> 00:30:56,369
might at times be a little difficult when
parties don't want to partake. But more on
290
00:30:56,369 --> 00:31:03,549
that later. VAAs should be designed in a
simple and intuitively understandable
291
00:31:03,549 --> 00:31:11,115
manner. OpenElectionCompass, this
is the reason why the design of the
292
00:31:11,115 --> 00:31:17,327
OpenElectionCompass is not fancy at all,
a bit boring even. Because I genuinely
293
00:31:17,327 --> 00:31:22,949
believe that it's how it's supposed to be.
Many designers observe that web interfaces
294
00:31:22,949 --> 00:31:28,892
are starting to look alike too much. And
there's some truth to that. But this is
295
00:31:28,892 --> 00:31:33,620
mainly because we have established a
number of patterns that just work and are
296
00:31:33,620 --> 00:31:40,460
well known to users. So with
OpenElectionCompass, I'm in fact building
297
00:31:40,460 --> 00:31:45,228
upon that. If you want an interface that
is usable by as many people as possible.
298
00:31:45,228 --> 00:31:53,606
Boring is better than fancy. This is not art.
This is design. The Lausanne declaration
299
00:31:53,606 --> 00:31:58,394
holds ourselves to a high standard,
but as the original authors stated, it is
300
00:31:58,394 --> 00:32:03,042
meant as a starting point for discussion.
There are a few points I would like
301
00:32:03,042 --> 00:32:11,630
to add. VAAs should collect user data only
on an unobtrusive opt in basis, you might
302
00:32:11,630 --> 00:32:18,410
want to collect user data such as visitor
statistics, answers and polls. There are
303
00:32:18,410 --> 00:32:23,816
good reasons to do so, but it's only ever
happened with a clear opt in solution,
304
00:32:23,816 --> 00:32:29,269
preferably near the end of the election
compass. A project like this should not
305
00:32:29,269 --> 00:32:39,006
appear greedy. VAAs should collect user
data for science, not for profit. The
306
00:32:39,006 --> 00:32:45,691
collected data should be made publicly
available. If you collect statistics in
307
00:32:45,691 --> 00:32:52,561
your VAA, do it for science. Let political
scientists handle the methodology and
308
00:32:52,561 --> 00:32:58,090
interpretation, not some newspaper. And
after the election is done, make the data
309
00:32:58,090 --> 00:33:08,320
you collected and if possible, your
research available for free. VAAs should
310
00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:13,789
collect user data in a way that is not
possible, that it is not possible to trace
311
00:33:13,789 --> 00:33:19,529
political opinions back to an individual.
If you do collect statistics, make it
312
00:33:19,529 --> 00:33:25,161
impossible to connect answers to a name.
Not only for everyone else, but for
313
00:33:25,161 --> 00:33:30,639
yourself. If you want to collect contact
information for further research, save it
314
00:33:30,639 --> 00:33:43,340
separately from the user's answers. Users
trust the VAA, so be trustworthy. OK, so
315
00:33:43,340 --> 00:33:52,669
where to begin? I prepared instructions
how to run your own election compass
316
00:33:52,669 --> 00:34:02,759
consisting of 10 phases. Phase number one:
Preparing. Organization, planning and
317
00:34:02,759 --> 00:34:08,810
communication are paramount. Before you do
anything else, make sure you're all on the
318
00:34:08,810 --> 00:34:14,460
same page. Do you really want to run an
election compass? Who is going to manage
319
00:34:14,460 --> 00:34:19,840
everything? This person doesn't have to,
and in fact shouldn't do everything alone.
320
00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:25,439
But it is very beneficial to have a single
person feeling responsible that everyone
321
00:34:25,439 --> 00:34:32,310
else completes their assignments on time.
Write down your own timeline, get a tool
322
00:34:32,310 --> 00:34:41,582
to organize your team like Kanban board or
a To-do-app. Phase number two: your team.
323
00:34:41,582 --> 00:34:47,240
You should never run a VAA all on your
own, not just because it's an awful lot of
324
00:34:47,240 --> 00:34:52,620
work and responsibility and requires an
extensive skill set, but because it is
325
00:34:52,620 --> 00:34:57,540
nearly impossible to do it in a legitimate
way. You want to support the democratic
326
00:34:57,540 --> 00:35:03,742
process, so get a team of experts,
advisers and supporters working together.
327
00:35:03,742 --> 00:35:09,760
Start with a list of people. This might
include political scientists for advice
328
00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:15,300
and possibly in charge of the theses, the
marketing specialists managing your
329
00:35:15,300 --> 00:35:22,310
marketing channels, social media, email,
etc. A web developer with technical skills
330
00:35:22,310 --> 00:35:28,977
to get the election Compass online. A
media designer, enthusiastic citizens,
331
00:35:28,977 --> 00:35:33,366
people with good connections to the
administration, newspapers and other
332
00:35:33,366 --> 00:35:42,667
institutions. Someone with great language
skills for wording and spelling. Think of
333
00:35:42,667 --> 00:35:48,090
people that might fit into these positions
and contact them. Organize the kickoff
334
00:35:48,090 --> 00:35:53,127
meeting for your entire team to present
your project. The plan, the structure, the
335
00:35:53,127 --> 00:35:59,230
timeline. Establish your organization
tools and communication channel, get
336
00:35:59,230 --> 00:36:07,059
everyone to work, gather to-dos and assign
them and set deadlines. Phase number
337
00:36:07,059 --> 00:36:15,155
three: The parties. It is important to get
the parties on board. Normally, one party
338
00:36:15,155 --> 00:36:21,061
alone has no choice but to participate.
You wouldn't want to be the only party
339
00:36:21,061 --> 00:36:26,270
missing. But if multiple parties aren't
interested, you have a serious problem.
340
00:36:26,270 --> 00:36:32,273
You should not run an election compass
with some parties missing. One or two
341
00:36:32,273 --> 00:36:38,130
small parties might be tolerable. You can
simply ask for a gathering and give them a
342
00:36:38,130 --> 00:36:42,480
rough idea of what you are planning. At
this point, it can be very helpful to
343
00:36:42,480 --> 00:36:48,994
belong to a reputable institution whose
invitation cannot easily be refused. Most
344
00:36:48,994 --> 00:36:55,400
of the time, parties should welcome your
idea, but be prepared for some persuading
345
00:36:55,400 --> 00:37:03,873
anyways. Phase number four: Preparing the
workshop. The theses for your election
346
00:37:03,873 --> 00:37:09,220
compass obviously cannot be written all by
yourself. They need to represent the
347
00:37:09,220 --> 00:37:15,828
society as a whole. The choice of theses
decides over the quality of your election
348
00:37:15,828 --> 00:37:22,000
compass, you need to get this right. Your
theses need to cover the most important
349
00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:28,839
matters for the next legislature. They
need to be objective and impartial. The
350
00:37:28,839 --> 00:37:34,585
wording of the thesis has to be simple
enough to be understood and to the point.
351
00:37:34,585 --> 00:37:40,042
Take this task seriously, it's the most
important and the most difficult. To
352
00:37:40,042 --> 00:37:45,570
achieve theses of good quality you should
run a workshop with a sample of your
353
00:37:45,570 --> 00:37:52,329
audience. Gather a group of young,
probably first time voters, but if you
354
00:37:52,329 --> 00:37:58,180
like, you can also gather voters of all
ages. Make sure the group is representable
355
00:37:58,180 --> 00:38:05,126
for your audience. No gender, race or
religion should be excluded obviously. Set
356
00:38:05,126 --> 00:38:10,990
a date and find a large enough room with a
projector, send out invitations and gather
357
00:38:10,990 --> 00:38:18,403
replies. Your groups should have about 20
to 30 members. Get the political programs
358
00:38:18,403 --> 00:38:24,040
of all participating parties with the help
of your experts, gather topics of
359
00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:30,350
political interest from the programs and
newspapers, and sort them into categories
360
00:38:30,350 --> 00:38:37,321
like social environment, work, traffic,
infrastructure, energy, economy, finance,
361
00:38:37,321 --> 00:38:45,340
tax, security. You get the gist. This is
your workshop material. Now plan the
362
00:38:45,340 --> 00:38:51,914
workshop. Help your group of voters
discover the topics and create the theses.
363
00:38:51,914 --> 00:38:57,432
What methods are you going to use?
Teachers can be very helpful here. What
364
00:38:57,432 --> 00:39:05,273
materials will you need? Whiteboards,
pens, paper, etc. Phase number five: The
365
00:39:05,273 --> 00:39:12,879
theses. Use the topics and information you
gathered to conduct your workshop. With
366
00:39:12,879 --> 00:39:18,260
your team and your group of voters. In
this workshop, you will create a number of
367
00:39:18,260 --> 00:39:26,080
theses. Most election compasses gather
around 50 to even 100 theses for whole
368
00:39:26,080 --> 00:39:31,879
countries at this stage. It will take you
a few hours at least. Take care of your
369
00:39:31,879 --> 00:39:36,883
guests with, you know, pauses, lunch,
snacks and coffee. Collect all theses in a
370
00:39:36,883 --> 00:39:43,590
list, and don't forget to work on the
wording. Now, regarding the theses, there
371
00:39:43,590 --> 00:39:48,714
are some simple rules and some more
advanced rules. The simpler ones are
372
00:39:48,714 --> 00:39:58,670
these: Can the thesis be easily understood
by everyone? Are there words that
373
00:39:58,670 --> 00:40:02,820
not everyone will know? The
OpenElectionCompass can provide hints
374
00:40:02,820 --> 00:40:12,344
on those, for those. Might the wording be
biased? Does the wording match your style?
375
00:40:12,344 --> 00:40:18,218
Is this a good length? You know,
these kind of simple rules. Now, for
376
00:40:18,218 --> 00:40:22,430
the more advanced rules. It can be
quite hard to follow these, but you
377
00:40:22,430 --> 00:40:30,285
should at least try or maybe get some
help with these. Advanced rule number one:
378
00:40:30,285 --> 00:40:37,162
Theses should not be about ideological
values, but actual political policies.
379
00:40:37,162 --> 00:40:43,431
The first statement is completely vague.
Voters cannot get any political knowledge
380
00:40:43,431 --> 00:40:48,854
from this because ideologically they most
likely already know where the parties are
381
00:40:48,854 --> 00:40:55,342
standing. What's even worse, voters can
interpret this thesis very differently.
382
00:40:55,342 --> 00:41:06,740
So be concrete. Number two: Theses should
not be double barreled. It is very easy to
383
00:41:06,740 --> 00:41:13,900
accidentally merge two theses. And that
makes them hard to answer. Every thesis
384
00:41:13,900 --> 00:41:21,222
should be about one policy and not mix two
or more policies. In this example. Voters
385
00:41:21,222 --> 00:41:27,580
might be OK with soft but not hard drugs.
So how are they supposed to answer the
386
00:41:27,580 --> 00:41:39,730
first statement? Focus your theses. Number
three: Theses should avoid
387
00:41:39,730 --> 00:41:48,140
quantifications. At first, this thesis
looks fine, it's clear and short, but what
388
00:41:48,140 --> 00:41:55,469
if you don't think there should be more
surveillance cameras? If I reject this
389
00:41:55,469 --> 00:42:00,506
statement, what does it mean? It could
mean that I'm OK with the numbers of
390
00:42:00,506 --> 00:42:05,820
cameras or it could mean that I'm
completely against them. It's not clear,
391
00:42:05,820 --> 00:42:11,750
and this makes it hard to match partisan
voters. It's often difficult to avoid
392
00:42:11,750 --> 00:42:19,924
quantification, but sometimes it can help
to get down to the real issue. And in case
393
00:42:19,924 --> 00:42:27,734
of my hometown, this was that some people
don't feel safe in public places at night.
394
00:42:27,734 --> 00:42:38,966
Now it's more of a boolean question, so
try to go for these. And number four:
395
00:42:38,966 --> 00:42:45,816
Theses should avoid qualifications as
well. This is a bit like the third rule,
396
00:42:45,816 --> 00:42:53,360
only this time we don't merge related
theses but add more depth to a thesis by
397
00:42:53,360 --> 00:43:00,060
adding an example. This was taken from the
Wahl-o-mat of 2002 and while it was meant
398
00:43:00,060 --> 00:43:06,510
to just be an example, it makes it more
difficult both for the voters as well as
399
00:43:06,510 --> 00:43:13,070
the matching algorithm. Voters might
support gay marriages, but draw a line
400
00:43:13,070 --> 00:43:20,910
when it comes to adoption. So what do they
choose? In this case, it might be helpful
401
00:43:20,910 --> 00:43:30,906
to be more specific or even split this
into two separate theses. This brings us
402
00:43:30,906 --> 00:43:38,390
to phase number six: The positions. Now
it's time to let the parties answer and
403
00:43:38,390 --> 00:43:44,389
positions themselves. First, decide on the
algorithm you want to calculate the
404
00:43:44,389 --> 00:43:51,309
matches with. This will also determine how
many possible answers there will be. Send
405
00:43:51,309 --> 00:43:57,080
the theses to every party. You'll want to
use an online form or similar, as the task
406
00:43:57,080 --> 00:44:02,840
of collecting all answers can get very
tedious. Make also sure to collect the
407
00:44:02,840 --> 00:44:09,594
logos in appropriate quality and give the
parties two to three weeks to answer,
408
00:44:09,594 --> 00:44:15,182
depending on your timeline. In the
meantime, prepare to publish the election
409
00:44:15,182 --> 00:44:22,242
compass. Contact media outlets and tell
them about your story. Contact the
410
00:44:22,242 --> 00:44:28,490
administration and ask them if they're
willing to put up a link on their website.
411
00:44:28,490 --> 00:44:35,370
Contact schools, teachers, youth
organizations and sport clubs and ask them
412
00:44:35,370 --> 00:44:40,231
if they are willing to share some graphics
and a link with their followers once
413
00:44:40,231 --> 00:44:48,025
you're done. Phase number seven:
Evaluating the answers. You know, I have a
414
00:44:48,025 --> 00:44:53,857
lot of theses and even more answers. The
next step is to select the most important
415
00:44:53,857 --> 00:45:00,228
theses. You can do this in another
workshop or on your team. Go through every
416
00:45:00,228 --> 00:45:05,592
thesis and decide whether it should become
part of the election compass. Ask
417
00:45:05,592 --> 00:45:12,550
yourselves, is this thesis controversial
enough? Is it helpful in telling the
418
00:45:12,550 --> 00:45:20,400
parties apart? At this stage, around 25 to
40 theses remain. Too few, and the results
419
00:45:20,400 --> 00:45:26,824
lose accuracy. Too many, and it would take
too long for the voters to process them.
420
00:45:26,824 --> 00:45:33,730
Phase number eight: Time for a test. By
now you should have everything you need.
421
00:45:33,730 --> 00:45:39,290
Let's run a test, feed your theses,
answers and logos to the configuration
422
00:45:39,290 --> 00:45:44,951
editor to create the configuration file.
Try it out, give it to your team and the
423
00:45:44,951 --> 00:45:49,900
people that participated in the workshops.
Gather their feedback, make small
424
00:45:49,900 --> 00:45:57,278
adjustments until everything is ready for
the big day. Phase number nine: Going
425
00:45:57,278 --> 00:46:03,780
public. About 2 to 3 weeks before the
election, you should publish your election
426
00:46:03,780 --> 00:46:08,940
compass. Tell your web developer in
advance, and when the election compass is
427
00:46:08,940 --> 00:46:18,350
online, tell everyone. And lastly, Phase
number 10: Observe. Everything is up and
428
00:46:18,350 --> 00:46:24,390
running? Good. The only thing left to do
now is get your election compass into as
429
00:46:24,390 --> 00:46:30,090
many hands as possible. Be available for
questions and feedback from the public,
430
00:46:30,090 --> 00:46:36,242
and then wait for the election. Don't
forget to vote yourselves. And when the
431
00:46:36,242 --> 00:46:41,702
election is over, archive the election
compass. You can delete it, of course, but
432
00:46:41,702 --> 00:46:47,220
if you can, just keep it online. It can
still be a valuable resource of
433
00:46:47,220 --> 00:46:52,333
transparency. If you collected any data
for research, make sure to share it with
434
00:46:52,333 --> 00:46:58,700
the word. And lastly, please give back to
the OpenElectionCompass, give feedback,
435
00:46:58,700 --> 00:47:11,300
write about it or improve our funding. And
here we are, nearly done. Undoubtedly,
436
00:47:11,300 --> 00:47:18,720
there are many issues with democracy. Its
implementations are incredibly complex and
437
00:47:18,720 --> 00:47:25,112
nothing that comes out of it is ever
perfect. It can be frustratingly slow,
438
00:47:25,112 --> 00:47:31,096
inefficient, intransparent and even
counterproductive. But it's also the only
439
00:47:31,096 --> 00:47:37,430
form of government that the majority so
far managed to agree upon. And it's also
440
00:47:37,430 --> 00:47:43,111
the only form of government that is
evolving continuously. We are right to
441
00:47:43,111 --> 00:47:48,297
criticize the system when it appears to be
moving in the wrong direction. But we
442
00:47:48,297 --> 00:47:54,590
should not be tempted to hack our
democracy. Hacking the system would mean
443
00:47:54,590 --> 00:48:01,678
bending it to our will. We don't want that
and we don't need to. We don't need to
444
00:48:01,678 --> 00:48:08,450
hack a system that has the inherent
ability to change. We can, however, try
445
00:48:08,450 --> 00:48:14,510
and fix the flaws, and I believe voting
advice applications are a way to start
446
00:48:14,510 --> 00:48:23,010
doing this. A way of patching democracy.
Thank you.
447
00:48:27,070 --> 00:48:41,196
Herald: Thank you so much Till Sanders
not only for your lecture, but also for
448
00:48:41,196 --> 00:48:47,216
the development of this very useful tool,
obviously. We still have some questions
449
00:48:47,216 --> 00:48:52,664
that our community posed on our social
media platforms. And I would start with
450
00:48:52,664 --> 00:48:58,478
the first one: Who would be moderating the
content in such apps? Like would it be
451
00:48:58,478 --> 00:49:03,636
peer moderated? Would it be state election
agency or would it be something like what
452
00:49:03,636 --> 00:49:11,130
kind of moderation would there be?
Till: That's a very important question,
453
00:49:11,130 --> 00:49:19,946
actually. Um, so in Germany with the Wahl-
o-mat that's made by by the BPB, a
454
00:49:19,946 --> 00:49:27,508
government agency. And they develop it in
a workshop like the one that I describe in
455
00:49:27,508 --> 00:49:35,970
the talk together with young first time
voters. Because that's their target group.
456
00:49:35,970 --> 00:49:41,430
But apart from that, they obviously have,
you know, political scientists, people
457
00:49:41,430 --> 00:49:49,810
who've been doing this for two decades
now. And if you want to do it yourself,
458
00:49:49,810 --> 00:50:02,150
you won't have access to these kind of
resources. So that can be a problem. And
459
00:50:02,150 --> 00:50:13,463
so far it worked well. We did this in in
Münster, Cologne, Bielefeld, and Siegen.
460
00:50:13,463 --> 00:50:20,203
We had a team of political scientists who
did this. So they had all the expertize.
461
00:50:20,203 --> 00:50:26,940
And yeah, there's no perfect answer for
this. Um, not anyone, not everybody has
462
00:50:26,940 --> 00:50:36,160
these resources. Just try to do it as good
as you can and maybe get some contacts who
463
00:50:36,160 --> 00:50:43,661
can help you. And we must not forget it's
only for political education, not for
464
00:50:43,661 --> 00:50:49,580
actual voting advice. So it will never be
perfect. But to a certain degree that's
465
00:50:49,580 --> 00:50:52,070
OK.
Herald: But there is a question that is
466
00:50:52,070 --> 00:50:58,550
kind of subsequently to the previous one:
This person is wondering, how do you or
467
00:50:58,550 --> 00:51:04,247
how do we make sure that the data is not
corrupted? Like that it's not abused for
468
00:51:04,247 --> 00:51:11,290
political promotion, for example, or
something like this. Like they refer to a
469
00:51:11,290 --> 00:51:17,870
big removing of Twitter of 20K fake
accounts that did political propaganda in
470
00:51:17,870 --> 00:51:22,190
kinds of millions of tweets. And those
were from a couple of countries, which was
471
00:51:22,190 --> 00:51:28,067
discovered in April 2020. So how could one
prevent this in a way, or is it like the
472
00:51:28,067 --> 00:51:33,524
same that you already stated concerning
the first question?
473
00:51:33,524 --> 00:51:43,548
Till: Yeah, well that's also a problem. It
hasn't proven to be a problem so far. So
474
00:51:43,548 --> 00:51:48,703
as far as I know, there has been no case
where this happened, but it could
475
00:51:48,703 --> 00:51:58,180
obviously happen. And since my tool and a
few other tools are open source, there's
476
00:51:58,180 --> 00:52:07,228
no way we can stop this. But actually,
that's the case for any projects out
477
00:52:07,228 --> 00:52:16,786
there, not only in this field, so many
open source projects can be abused. Lets
478
00:52:16,786 --> 00:52:21,151
look at curl, I think the developer of
curl is not allowed to enter the United
479
00:52:21,151 --> 00:52:30,611
States, because they think he is a hacker.
The only thing we can really do is educate
480
00:52:30,611 --> 00:52:39,294
people about this topic in general and
also improve education on VAAs themselves.
481
00:52:39,294 --> 00:52:51,380
So don't take them too serious and
maybe take which ones are not honest.
482
00:52:51,380 --> 00:52:57,460
Herald: Yeah, this is actually a question
that bothers or bugs the users a lot
483
00:52:57,460 --> 00:53:02,419
because another question is like: How
could we ensure that there is no bias in
484
00:53:02,419 --> 00:53:08,290
the questions which actually connects to
the previous questions as well. But they
485
00:53:08,290 --> 00:53:12,076
were wondering, for example, if the
questions, the topic are not evenly
486
00:53:12,076 --> 00:53:18,883
distributed, which, yeah, actually tends
to lead to some kind of bias in the
487
00:53:18,883 --> 00:53:23,155
questions. But like, this is the same
problem, like with open source material,
488
00:53:23,155 --> 00:53:28,099
obviously, isn't it?
Till: Yeah, yeah. That's a problem. So in
489
00:53:28,099 --> 00:53:32,430
Münster this year, there was another
election compass based on the
490
00:53:32,430 --> 00:53:37,840
OpenElectionCompass,
and it was from the BUND-Jugend.
491
00:53:37,840 --> 00:53:46,450
So they focused on environmental issues
and it was a completely separate project
492
00:53:46,450 --> 00:53:50,490
and it wasn't even the first time they
were doing this. In the past they did it
493
00:53:50,490 --> 00:53:59,380
with like flyers and stuff. And I guess
that election compass probably was biased
494
00:53:59,380 --> 00:54:06,576
because it was part of their campaign, you
could say. I mean, they're not a party but
495
00:54:06,576 --> 00:54:16,560
still. And I think what's most important
is that it's transparent. Who is doing
496
00:54:16,560 --> 00:54:24,540
this election compass. So in Lüdenscheid
it was a general youth organization not
497
00:54:24,540 --> 00:54:34,400
affiliated with any parties, funded by the
government. And I think that's a different
498
00:54:34,400 --> 00:54:43,690
stand really to do that. On the other
hand, the project in Münster wasn't that.
499
00:54:43,690 --> 00:54:48,438
It was biased, yes. But that doesn't make
it a bad project. Just people have to be
500
00:54:48,438 --> 00:54:56,020
aware of that. And I hope we can tackle
all these problems in the future with
501
00:54:56,020 --> 00:55:02,530
something that's more like a platform as a
service. Maybe we can build an institution
502
00:55:02,530 --> 00:55:10,984
around this that can govern all these
projects and moderate them a little bit.
503
00:55:10,984 --> 00:55:15,450
But maybe that's just a daydream. I don't
know. (chuckles)
504
00:55:15,450 --> 00:55:20,340
Herald: OK, but another question that
popped up that I find quite interesting as
505
00:55:20,340 --> 00:55:25,600
well is: Why VAAs can successfully
approximate a given user's political stand
506
00:55:25,600 --> 00:55:30,108
in comparison to the party's answers to
the thesis. I thought... like the user
507
00:55:30,108 --> 00:55:35,398
thought a lot about another issue. The
missing knowledge on a theses' actually
508
00:55:35,398 --> 00:55:40,503
context, like they were wondering if you
have an idea how to solve that with a
509
00:55:40,503 --> 00:55:46,850
similar technology driven tool or
something like that, actually.
510
00:55:46,850 --> 00:55:52,460
Till: Yeah, that's a question I've had for
a while. When I first did the Wahl-o-mat,
511
00:55:52,460 --> 00:55:58,520
that question popped up for me as well.
Because there were some questions I didn't
512
00:55:58,520 --> 00:56:05,650
know anything about. And the idea is that
you just skip those questions and they
513
00:56:05,650 --> 00:56:11,470
completely, they are not counted. That's
how they deal with it. But I always
514
00:56:11,470 --> 00:56:18,804
thought, why don't they tell me more about
it, so I can make an informed choice? So
515
00:56:18,804 --> 00:56:25,795
far, I haven't managed to find the
definite answer to this, but now I believe
516
00:56:25,795 --> 00:56:31,640
they don't do it on purpose. So they do it
on purpose, but they don't do it, you
517
00:56:31,640 --> 00:56:44,669
know? I think the risk would be too high
to influence users, because when the
518
00:56:44,669 --> 00:56:48,870
Election Compass itself tells you
everything you need to know about this
519
00:56:48,870 --> 00:56:56,960
topic, they decide what's true, what
information they give you about this
520
00:56:56,960 --> 00:57:03,360
topic. And I think it's incredibly
difficult to be really objective when
521
00:57:03,360 --> 00:57:10,451
creating such content. So I guess
that's the reason why they don't do it.
522
00:57:10,451 --> 00:57:14,483
And I think it's a good reason, actually.
So people should get information somewhere
523
00:57:14,483 --> 00:57:20,430
else, multiple sources.
Herald: So you would not lobby for some
524
00:57:20,430 --> 00:57:24,680
kind of option that you could, you know,
expand like you are a open source project,
525
00:57:24,680 --> 00:57:31,300
for example, to cover that one as well?
Till: No, I don't think so. Actually, if
526
00:57:31,300 --> 00:57:38,108
you scroll down all the way, you can see
the party's answers. And I did it on
527
00:57:38,108 --> 00:57:46,480
purpose that you can... it's more like a
chat. So they can actually discuss that in
528
00:57:46,480 --> 00:57:52,820
a way and you can read their answers and
then decide what, who you believe.
529
00:57:52,820 --> 00:57:59,320
Herald: Yeah. All right. And you are
actually doing this by yourself, you
530
00:57:59,320 --> 00:58:06,920
founded this a year ago, some bit prior
because you saw the problems that were
531
00:58:06,920 --> 00:58:12,914
there. But how could one join the party?
Like how could one help out? How could
532
00:58:12,914 --> 00:58:20,770
somebody work with you on this project?
Till: Yeah, well so I have lots of ideas
533
00:58:20,770 --> 00:58:27,340
how you could improve this project. And so
far I'm managing fine to do it on my own
534
00:58:27,340 --> 00:58:35,411
in my free time. And I don't intend to do
it full time. It's a good side project,
535
00:58:35,411 --> 00:58:45,855
but someday I think more people should get
involved. And there are several ways to do
536
00:58:45,855 --> 00:58:55,410
so. So the project is based on Vue.js and
everyone who is familiar with that can
537
00:58:55,410 --> 00:59:05,780
easily join. There are small and big todos
that could be done, and many ideas will
538
00:59:05,780 --> 00:59:14,130
require a server side application. So
that's something I've been working on in
539
00:59:14,130 --> 00:59:21,445
the past few weeks. So that's also
something that could attract
540
00:59:21,445 --> 00:59:29,410
contributions.
Herald: OK, and another question I have
541
00:59:29,410 --> 00:59:35,030
left would be: Will the slides be
available somewhere like do you have your
542
00:59:35,030 --> 00:59:40,150
presentation somewhere online? So people
who are interested, who love the design
543
00:59:40,150 --> 00:59:47,670
and content, like the user who posed this
question could still grab it somehow?
544
00:59:47,670 --> 00:59:57,495
Till: Thanks, first. Yeah surely, the
project already has a website and many
545
00:59:57,495 --> 01:00:04,033
things in the presentation are also on the
website. But everything, I will add them
546
01:00:04,033 --> 01:00:13,070
in the next days, I think. And as far for
the slides, I can, I will upload them
547
01:00:13,070 --> 01:00:21,780
somewhere unless I don't know you do that.
Um, I don't know. You have like this hack
548
01:00:21,780 --> 01:00:29,560
media site where you, where you post some
videos. Herald: So we are allowed to put
549
01:00:29,560 --> 01:00:35,830
them online for you.
Till: Yeah sure. They will definitely be
550
01:00:35,830 --> 01:00:39,304
available somewhere.
Herald: OK. Amazing. Is there something
551
01:00:39,304 --> 01:00:44,780
left for you to say to that. You just want
to get off your heart?
552
01:00:44,780 --> 01:00:52,738
Till: Well, I really enjoyed doing this
and I myself learned a lot about VAAs in
553
01:00:52,738 --> 01:01:01,390
the process, that was nice. And I'm just
happy that so many people listened to me.
554
01:01:01,390 --> 01:01:06,165
Herald: Thank you very much for being
here. For your presentation, for your
555
01:01:06,165 --> 01:01:13,282
work, of course. And for being here, for
joining us. We will go ahead on this
556
01:01:13,282 --> 01:01:21,617
channel with air filters. It starts at 8
p.m., of course, and it will be some sort
557
01:01:21,617 --> 01:01:28,180
of an instruction how to build your own
air filters that actually get your air
558
01:01:28,180 --> 01:01:35,130
clean and virus free by using your 3D
printer. For now, we say thank you very
559
01:01:35,130 --> 01:01:39,814
much and say: See you next time.
560
01:01:39,814 --> 01:01:48,300
postroll music
561
01:01:48,300 --> 01:01:59,520
Subtitles created by c3subtitles.de
in the year 2021. Join, and help us!