Voteopolis

Returning “We the People" to the political process

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The Problem

1. The nation and much of the world has become politically polarized in recent years.

2. In the U.S., partisanship divides the government and the citizenry into nearly-warring camps.

3. In the EU, nationalism vies for dominance over globalism.

4. The U.K. is torn over Brexit.

5. The U.N., which should enjoy a modicum of public support, must work to improve its mediocre or outright negative reputation.” (Brookings Institute)

 

The Problem

1. Hundreds of millions worldwide struggle to find security, peace and happiness, yet without understanding how the political process can help them achieve those goals — and without faith in the politics that have led to these divisive environments.

2. Limited transparency from political leaders at national and regional levels makes it difficult for citizens to understand and engage with modern politics.

 

 

The Problem

1. Citizens do not understand the process used to create legislation, which leads to disengagement and disappointment in the political process.

2. Political posturing confuses voters and often uses misleading tactics, making it difficult to select candidates or to support issues that align with one's preferences.

3. Learning a politician's voting record, the special interest groups that fund a candidate's re-election and influence his/her behavior, the identity of donors who support various causes and politicians — simply following the influence and money trails — are difficult and time-consuming. This leads to further citizen disengagement.

 

Reconnecting “We the People”

1. The 21^st century U.S. political arena begs for transparency that enables citizens to reconnect with their elected leaders and government officials.

2. Many politicians today focus their resources on bipartisan political issues, rather than doing the work for which they were elected by the people.

3. Voteopolis intends to bring citizens actively back into the political process.

4. Here’s how …

 

Voteopolis focuses first on U.S. politics.
 

 

1. gives citizens a clear and accurate view of…

 

1. Political processes — Voteopolis educates citizens on political processes including how legislation is created; the role of congressional committees; how political action committees work; the role and activities of lobbyists, and more.

2. The issues — Voteopolis provides unbiased, non-partisan analysis of issues so voters can act knowledgably. Voteoplis takes no policy positions.

 

Voteopolis also gives citizens a clear and accurate view of…

1. The politicians — We provide voting records, educational and career experience, and other factual information that enables voters to assess and decide how to engage with public figures.

2. Members have access to information about politicians at the local, state, and federal level. Voting history, political affiliations, and their position on new bills and legislation are all available.

3. Through access to FEC records, members can determine a politician’s affiliations, the funding they have received to support their reelection, and the sources of such funding.

 

 

Voteopolis Members

1. Members fall into three classes.

2. Tourists – can browse the site.

3. Citizens – can make comments on the website, initiate petitions and vote on petitions and other issues.

4. Wikipolis – in addition to the above, these members can edit the site, blog and vote on issues and candidates.

5. Citizens and Wikipolis are identified and authenticated via Sovereign Identity using Blockchain technology.

6. This eliminates “fake” accounts, and sets the stage for authenticated voting on political issues, including presidential and other national elections.

 

Voteopolis Becomes a “National Town Hall”

1. Voteopolis becomes a meeting place that can largely supplant political/opinion polling and other estimates of citizens’ political preferences.

2. Much like Pew Research, USAFacts.org (a Steve Ballmer creation), and WorldoMeter.info are trusted sources, Voteopolis is positioned as a trusted source for political information.

3. Unlike those, Voteopolis also becomes an active social gathering place where citizens can learn, discuss, vote and become part of the political process.

 

 

Technology Tools

1. Sovereign Identity (SI) coupled with Blockchain eliminates the risk of unauthenticated persons posting, editing and voting. This qualifies Voteopolis as a cryptographically-secure platform for citizens to cast votes on regional and national issues.

2. Rather than relying on Certification Authorities and governments to establish identity, SI/Blockchain relies on mathematics and cryptography to prove one’s identity.

3. Using Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), the blockchain offers an unchangeable, transparent environment where it is impossible to falsify one’s identity.

4. The identities of “Citizens” and “Wikipolis” are verified, then entered into the SI/Blockchain system.

Technology Tools

1. Voteopolis has integrated Federal Election Commission data through the “OpenFEC” APIs to make campaign finance data easily accessible. Citizens can now answer questions including …

 

1. How much money did a candidate raise during his or her campaign?

2. How was the money spent and how did it benefit the campaign?

3. How much debt did candidates finish with?

4. Who contributed to their campaign? 

 

 

Technology Tools – FEC Continued

1. Outcomes expected:

 

1. With access to FEC data, Voteopolis gives voters an easy way to pierce the veil surrounding campaign financing and better assess a candidate or a committee.

2. Voteopolis brings transparency to the election process. “We the People” can now get engaged with information that has been available to journalists, academics and political figures – but too shrouded in technology for ordinary citizens to access.

 

 

Voteopolis – Why Now?

1. Presidential and congressional elections have always divided the nation. The 2020 cycle has become the greatest voting scandal in American history.

2. Voteopolis can bring citizen engagement and transparency to the campaign and election process. We anticipate three phases in Voteopolis’ growth.

3. Citizens cast “simulated votes” on legislation and candidates. As this gains in popularity, Voteopolis will begin to influence social media.

4. As momentum grows, Voteopolis “simulated votes” become a proxy for political polling, and a more accurate measure of voter preference. National news begins reporting on Voteopolis trends.

5. Voteopolis becomes the de facto platform for simulated regional and national voting, as well as for political engagement.

Voteopolis – Why Now?

1. Voteopolis creates a service not addressed by any single online destination.

2. It educates citizens

3. It gives them a voice in political processes

4. It increases engagement with local and national governments

5. It provides a voting platform...

6. where any citizen can express his/her preferences

7. that can accept votes both on legislation and candidates

8. that isn't ruled by election cycles and allows for continuous citizen engagement

Founder

1. Paul Norris

2. Founder and Chief Software Architect

3. MIT 2004: Degree in Computing and Internet Technology

4. Previously Vice President of Software development at Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY) Hired to create modern software system for MBS and CDOs trading and portfolio management. Built system for ground up utilizing SQL server, and Web Forms to replace over-coupled spreadsheet manual system.

We Are Seeking

1. Funding to provide the following skill sets:

2. Advertising maven, with deep experience in ad networks, to build out ad program that funds Voteopolis.

3. Programmers to expand the services Voteopolis offers.

4. SEO marketing expert

5. SQL, Azure, Security expert

6. HTML, JavaScript/Bootstrap Web developer

7. Social Media Integration

8. FEC accounting expert to dissect and disseminate in conjunction with AI programs.

9. HTML scraper for AI automatic data attainment systems.

10. More blog writers, and wiki helpers – ultimately via wiki “Citizen” and “WikiPolis” volunteer members as we gain momentum.

Final Thoughts

1. Voteopolis blends modern technology with the goals of educating and engaging American citizens in the political process.

2. Our goal is to provide a trusted, non-partisan platform that brings factions of the American population together once again as “We the People,” always respecting their diverse perspectives and partisan priorities.

3. While official voting will not likely be placed into the hands of private businesses, Voteopolis’ “simulated voting” can serve as a technology model that may be marketable to governments in the future.

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