AI in Digital Citizens’ Participation – Where Do We Stand?
Webinar Recap | On 10 August, democracy-technologies.org hosted the webinar “AI in Digital Citizens Participation – Where do we Stand?” Robert Bjarnason (Citizens Foundation), Bianca Lüders (Agency for Geoinformation and Surveying, City of Hamburg) and Eva Mayer (CitizenLab) joined us to talk about how they are integrating AI into their platforms.
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Switzerland Resumes i-Voting Trials Ahead of Federal Election
When Swiss voters head to the polls in October for the country’s federal elections, there’s a good chance that a modest proportion of ballots will be cast online using Swiss Post’s revamped i-voting system. The prospect has been welcomed by many Swiss living abroad. Furthermore, repeated polls in recent years suggest that a majority of […]
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Eight Questions to Ask Before Using AI in Citizen Participation
AI hype has arrived in the realm of digital citizen participation. For many, it’s an exciting moment, with several potential applications already emerging. But the quick uptake of AI also raises questions about the potential risks the technology brings with it. What questions should you ask before adopting the technology in participation projects?
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Participatory Budgeting Voting Methods
Most participatory budgets follow a well-established format. Yet when it comes to choosing the most effective voting method, there’s still no clear consensus. We take a look at some of the best options.
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Democratic Lottery – A Guide to Sortition
According to some experts, ‘Sortition’ could eventually replace elected politicians altogether. In reality, it is already in use alongside elections – quietly revolutionising the way political decisions are made. But what exactly is it?
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Bulgaria’s Ongoing Voting Machine Saga
After a rapid series of changes to voting rules, Bulgarians are using a variety of paper ballots and machine voting, which is the result of an ongoing struggle between opposing parties. The means of voting itself has become a political issue, threatening to undermine public confidence in the elections.
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Making Political Primaries More Democratic
Can alternative voting methods help to make political primaries more democratic, while also reducing the risk posed by polarising candidates?
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Voting Machine Conspiracies On Trial
What does the Dominion vs. Fox case mean for the e-voting industry?
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Casting the Net Wider: Urban Planning in Vienna
“They have to get rid of the cars.” For one passerby in Vienna’s Gumpendorfer Straße, interviewed on local TV station WTV, the key to solving the street’s problems is clear. Lined with cafés, bars, cinemas, and shops, Gumpendorfer Straße cuts a jagged course east to west through the lively sixth district, an area known for […]
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Citizens’ Assemblies: Not Made to Legislate?
Ireland has used citizens assemblies to initiate constitutional reform on issues including abortion and same-sex marriage. But how much power do the assemblies really have?
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Glorified Printers: The Uncertain Future of Bulgaria’s Voting Machines
The reinstatement of paper ballots in Bulgaria has raised fears of a return to vote buying and electoral manipulation.
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Elon Musk’s Lessons in Democracy
Elon Musk has been staging his takeover of Twitter as an exercise in radical democracy. The resulting chaos is further proof that the regulation of social media belongs in public hands.
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Protests in Favour of Voting Machines, Fidesz Misuses Data, and Arizona Responds to Conspiracies
Hundreds of Bulgarians take to the streets of Sofia to protest against the reintroduction of paper ballots, Fidesz accused of misusing citizens' data in online campaigning, and other news from the week in democracy technology.
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Participatory Budgets Alone Aren’t Enough
Participatory budgets are all the rage. But the City of Paris is moving to expand its participation formats in new directions.
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Hackers Test Swiss Post’s New i-Voting System
Swiss Post’s internet voting system has withstood over 60,000 attacks by ethical hackers. But obstacles remain to a full roll-out of the system.
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