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WebQuest: Problems
with E-Voting |
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thenationonlineng.net |
Ed Moran Corpus
Christi School emoran@ccschoolnyc.org |
thenationonlineng.net |
Introduction
Many locations have adopted
computerized, electronic voting (E-Voting) as a solution to problems that have
occurred in the past with paper ballots, punch cards, and mechanical voting
machines. However, there have been many
reports of problems (breakdowns, security breaches, etc.) with the new
machines.
Nick
Task
You are to produce a slide
presentation on this topic. You are to
discuss the problems that have been reported with existing e-voting policies,
present and evaluate possible solutions, and select the most practical and
effective one. The presentation must
contain at least 10 slides and should take 5 to 10 minutes to present. Your slide presentation may be created in
Microsoft PowerPoint, OpenOffice Impress, or Google
Docs Presentation.
Process/Resources
Working with your assigned partner, use
the Public Policy Analyst (PPA) to organize your groups approach
to creating its presentation. Each step
in the process has an associated PPA worksheet, linked below, that should be
filled out to help you prepare and organize your presentation. You and your partner should decide how to
divide up the presentation, with each of you speaking for about half of the
time.
1. Define the Problem PPA Worksheet #1
We defined the basic problem in the introduction, but you could elaborate on it
or modify it somewhat perhaps concentrating on a particular subtopic.
2. Gather Evidence PPA Worksheet #2
The following are sources of information on past and current voting
technologies and their problems and misuse.
You are free to use other resources.
Resources:
A list of resources from around the
Web about Voting Machines as selected by researchers and editors of The New
York Times
A List of NY Times Articles on
E-Voting
General Information:
The Help America Vote Act
How Stuff Works.com: How E-Voting Works
What Is.com: What is E-Voting?
Wikipedia.org: Electronic Voting
Information on problems in general:
Electronic Frontier Foundation: E-Voting Problems Summary
News articles about e-voting problems
Electronic-Vote.org:
Electronic Voting and Democracy
VotersUnite.org: Election Problem Log
Huffington Post - Electronic Voting
Machines Still Widely Used Despite Security Concerns
Christian Science Monitor -
Could-E-Voting-Machines in Election 2012 Be Hacked? Yes.
NBC News - Sparks Fly in E-Voting Debate
BlackBoxVoting.org
BlackBoxVoting.com
VerifiedVoting.org
News reports on specific e-voting problems:
ABC News Faulty & Outdated
Voting Machines Contributed to Voter Lines & Frustration
Computerworld.com - E-voting Machine
Swaps Obama Vote for Romney
MSNBC - Machine Turns Vote for Obama
into One for Romney
CNet.com - Pennsylvania Voting
Machine Casts Wrong Ballot - oops
ArsTechnica.com: E-Voting Chaos in New Jersey
Hollywood Reporter - Oscars E-Voting
Problems Worse Than Feared
Popular Science - How I Hacked an
Electronic Voting Machine
3. Identify Causes PPA Worksheet #3
Resources: Many of the above resources
are useful here, but you also should be using your own judgment to come up with
your own ideas.
4. Evaluate an Existing Policy PPA Worksheet #4
Describe and
discuss the current E-Voting policy in
Resources:
The Help America Vote Act as
Implemented in NY
Voting Machines in use in NY State
5. Develop Solutions PPA Worksheet #5
In your research with the resources already mentioned above, you have probably
encountered several suggestions for improving our voting system. Describe these proposed solutions and use
them as a starting point to develop your own possible solutions (perhaps
combining some features from some of the suggestions youve found.) At this point you are not trying to come up
with the one best answer you are listing some alternatives (at least 3.)
6. Select the Best Solution PPA Worksheet #6
Compare your possible solutions based on their feasibility and
practicality. Choose the one that you
believe to be the best overall, and justify your choice.
Evaluation
Your presentation will be evaluated
as follows:
·
50%
Quality of the Research and Information
o
Did
you clearly explain the problem?
o
Did
you clearly explain possible solutions?
o
Did
you provide adequate examples?
o
Did
your proposed solution(s) make sense?
o
Did
you provide supporting evidence for your conclusions?
o
Did
you provide proper credits for your references and sources?
·
25%
Quality of the Slides
o
Are
the slides easy to read?
Did you choose an appropriate font, size, and background?
o
Did
you put the information into your own words?
o
Are
the slides easy to understand?
Did you use proper English?
Is the vocabulary appropriate for your grade?
Did you define any words or concepts that might not be familiar to your
classmates?
o
Are
the slides visually interesting?
Did you make good use of pictures, color and visual effects without making the
slides too busy or distracting?
o
Did
you have at least the minimum number of slides?
·
25%
Quality of the Spoken Commentary
o
Did
you speak loudly and clearly?
o
Did
you use proper English?
o
Did
you provide additional information beyond what was on the slides, or did you
just read the slides to the class?
o
Did
you speak conversationally, or just read from a script?
o
Did
you stay within the specified time limit?
o
Did
you provide time for questions?
o
Were
you able to answer the questions?
Conclusion
In working on your project, you
should have learned that there are many issues involving e-voting. While there is no one right solution, you
should now understand the problems and have come up with one or more reasonable
solutions, and should be able to justify those solutions and explain them to
others.
Dave Granlund, www.davegranlund.com
Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1 Read closely to determine what
the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite
specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions
drawn from the text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2 Determine central ideas or
themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key
supporting details and ideas.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.7 Integrate and evaluate content
presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and
quantitatively, as well as in words.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.8 Delineate and evaluate the
argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the
reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.8 Trace and evaluate the argument
and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound
and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.9 Analyze how two or more authors
writing about the same topic shape their presentations of key information
by emphasizing different evidence or advancing different interpretations
of facts.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.10 By the end of the year, read
and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 68 text complexity band
proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1 Write arguments to support
claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1a Introduce claim(s), acknowledge
alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence
logically.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1b Support claim(s) with logical
reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and
demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1c Use words, phrases, and
clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s),
reasons, and evidence.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1d Establish and maintain a
formal style.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1e Provide a concluding statement
or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2 Write informative/explanatory
texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information
through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2a Introduce a topic clearly,
previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information,
using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast,
and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g.,
charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2b Develop the topic with relevant
facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and
examples.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2c Use appropriate transitions to
create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2d Use precise language and
domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2e Establish and maintain a formal
style.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2f Provide a concluding statement
or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation
presented.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.4 Produce clear and coherent
writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate
to task, purpose, and audience.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.5 With some guidance and support
from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by
planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing
on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.6 Use technology, including the
Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as
well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and
citing sources.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and
audience.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.5 With some guidance and support from peers and
adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising,
editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose
and audience have been addressed.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to
produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to
interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing
sources.