Wiki source for VoteEasyLessonsLearned
==VoteEasy History and Lessons Learned==
The VoteEasy program was initiated in 2009, in response to the declining willingness of candidates to provide their issue positions on the Political Courage Test. It was first launched to the public with Congressional candidates around September 2010, receiving rave reviews and many accolades. In 2011, Presidential candidates were added to the program.
An analysis of user behavior in 2012 confirmed that users were spending nearly twice as much time, and viewing twice as much content on the VoteEasy app as they were on our data-heavy website. As a result of this program's success, Vote Smart has invested in developing more engaging, interactive ways for citizens to access our data, including I Spy.
**VoteEasy Research**
In 2010, principal staff on this program were: Brandon Horton, Peter Bultman, Kristen Vicedomini, and Kate McElroy.
When first launching VoteEasy, we were very concerned about having high quality research and not exposing ourselves to criticism, embarrassment, or lawsuits.
Research on candidates issue positions had to be completely redone at least twice in the 2010 election cycle before we developed a good system for producing quality research. In the first round of research, our questions were too vague, leading individual researchers to interpret the questions differently. In the second round of research, the evidence for making determinations were not being used consistently. By round 3 we ended up with some key components that have continued to structure our research over the years:
- Questions that produced clear, distinct issue positions
- Standardizing evidence so it would be applied consistently across many candidates
- Clearly-defined criteria for making determinations of issue positions
Please note that in 2010 "VoteEasy Research" was referred to as "Abridged PCT Research," as we had not yet named the app.
The criticism and embarrassment we were expecting never really came (thank goodness!). We received only one complaint about the quality of our research, where we accidentally included a wrong quote for a candidate- but, by some miracle, this actually got that candidate to fill out the Political Courage Test so he could correct us!
The lawsuits never came either, but the NRCC had one of their attorneys contact Vote Smart and threaten legal action if we did not remove their candidates' positions on the issues (we didn't). That same year Krystal Ball's campaign manager told us the DCCC threatened to withhold any party backing or funding for candidates who fill out the Political Courage Test.
In 2012, principal staff on this program were: Kristen Vicedomini, Kate McElroy, Darren McDivitt, Sarah Tansey, and Pat Waller.
In the 2012 election cycle, staff changes caused a bit of disarray with VoteEasy Research, but ultimately we were successfully able to add Presidential candidate coverage on top of VoteEasy Research for Congressional candidates. We loosened our restrictions somewhat so we were not being so conservative on pinning candidates down on their likely positions.
In both 2010 and 2012, we nearly didn't get everything done in time, and had to revise procedures and shift staff in order to ensure completion. Remember: you can never start too early, constantly reevaluate your pace and where you stand, and make sure to keep your eye on the big picture.
In 2014 and beyond, the focus for VoteEasy Research should be on efficiency, automation, and expansion, while not sacrificing the quality of research.
**Key Data Partnerships**
In 2010, CNN was the first external source to include Project Vote Smart's VoteEasy Research in its election center. In 2012, NBC Universal used this research to create their own candidate match application in both English and Spanish.
**VoteEasy Application**
The VoteEasy Application was developed out of house by Periscopic in 2010, and was updated to accommodate Presidential candidates by Periscopic in 2012.
This was designed in collaboration with Vote Smart staff, especially as it related to information design and functionality. The principal Vote Smart Staff involved in the application's design were Kristen Vicedomini (PCT Director/National Director), Robin Parkinson (National Director), Adelaide Kimball (Senior Advisor), Clinton Adams (IT Director), and Mike Shultz (IT).
**Accolades**
[[http://votesmart.org/media/quotes#.UtlpIknn-lk Widely hailed]] as an innovative tool for the average voter, VoteEasy was honored with a 2011 WebVisionary Award, a Communication Arts Interactive Annual Award, and was selected for the Museum of Modern Art's "Talk to Me" exhibit showing the most advanced methods of displaying complex data sets.
**Vote Easy Research Standards 2012**
[[UnderstandingIssuePositions Understanding Issue Positions]]
The VoteEasy program was initiated in 2009, in response to the declining willingness of candidates to provide their issue positions on the Political Courage Test. It was first launched to the public with Congressional candidates around September 2010, receiving rave reviews and many accolades. In 2011, Presidential candidates were added to the program.
An analysis of user behavior in 2012 confirmed that users were spending nearly twice as much time, and viewing twice as much content on the VoteEasy app as they were on our data-heavy website. As a result of this program's success, Vote Smart has invested in developing more engaging, interactive ways for citizens to access our data, including I Spy.
**VoteEasy Research**
In 2010, principal staff on this program were: Brandon Horton, Peter Bultman, Kristen Vicedomini, and Kate McElroy.
When first launching VoteEasy, we were very concerned about having high quality research and not exposing ourselves to criticism, embarrassment, or lawsuits.
Research on candidates issue positions had to be completely redone at least twice in the 2010 election cycle before we developed a good system for producing quality research. In the first round of research, our questions were too vague, leading individual researchers to interpret the questions differently. In the second round of research, the evidence for making determinations were not being used consistently. By round 3 we ended up with some key components that have continued to structure our research over the years:
- Questions that produced clear, distinct issue positions
- Standardizing evidence so it would be applied consistently across many candidates
- Clearly-defined criteria for making determinations of issue positions
Please note that in 2010 "VoteEasy Research" was referred to as "Abridged PCT Research," as we had not yet named the app.
The criticism and embarrassment we were expecting never really came (thank goodness!). We received only one complaint about the quality of our research, where we accidentally included a wrong quote for a candidate- but, by some miracle, this actually got that candidate to fill out the Political Courage Test so he could correct us!
The lawsuits never came either, but the NRCC had one of their attorneys contact Vote Smart and threaten legal action if we did not remove their candidates' positions on the issues (we didn't). That same year Krystal Ball's campaign manager told us the DCCC threatened to withhold any party backing or funding for candidates who fill out the Political Courage Test.
In 2012, principal staff on this program were: Kristen Vicedomini, Kate McElroy, Darren McDivitt, Sarah Tansey, and Pat Waller.
In the 2012 election cycle, staff changes caused a bit of disarray with VoteEasy Research, but ultimately we were successfully able to add Presidential candidate coverage on top of VoteEasy Research for Congressional candidates. We loosened our restrictions somewhat so we were not being so conservative on pinning candidates down on their likely positions.
In both 2010 and 2012, we nearly didn't get everything done in time, and had to revise procedures and shift staff in order to ensure completion. Remember: you can never start too early, constantly reevaluate your pace and where you stand, and make sure to keep your eye on the big picture.
In 2014 and beyond, the focus for VoteEasy Research should be on efficiency, automation, and expansion, while not sacrificing the quality of research.
**Key Data Partnerships**
In 2010, CNN was the first external source to include Project Vote Smart's VoteEasy Research in its election center. In 2012, NBC Universal used this research to create their own candidate match application in both English and Spanish.
**VoteEasy Application**
The VoteEasy Application was developed out of house by Periscopic in 2010, and was updated to accommodate Presidential candidates by Periscopic in 2012.
This was designed in collaboration with Vote Smart staff, especially as it related to information design and functionality. The principal Vote Smart Staff involved in the application's design were Kristen Vicedomini (PCT Director/National Director), Robin Parkinson (National Director), Adelaide Kimball (Senior Advisor), Clinton Adams (IT Director), and Mike Shultz (IT).
**Accolades**
[[http://votesmart.org/media/quotes#.UtlpIknn-lk Widely hailed]] as an innovative tool for the average voter, VoteEasy was honored with a 2011 WebVisionary Award, a Communication Arts Interactive Annual Award, and was selected for the Museum of Modern Art's "Talk to Me" exhibit showing the most advanced methods of displaying complex data sets.
**Vote Easy Research Standards 2012**
[[UnderstandingIssuePositions Understanding Issue Positions]]
