The Verified Voting Foundation engages in educational activities permitted by IRC Section 501(c)(3). Please visit VerifiedVoting.org for info about 501(c)(4) lobbying activities. You can also visit Vote Trust USA, a project of the Verified Voting Foundation.
We need lots of help! Check the list of teams and volunteer positions below to see which one(s) might be right for you. The EIRS project is comprised of several fluid and evolving teams, with leaders who confer and coordinate via email, a project wiki, and daily conference calls. Our current team structure and individual jobs will undoubtedly continue to evolve to meet changing needs and priorities. If you think there is a job that needs to be done but is not on the list, by all means please suggest it -- particularly if you can do it!
How to Volunteer
Once you've looked over the possibilities below, please sign up at https://verifiedvoting.org/join/ and indicate your volunteer preferences in the form that follows the initial signup. You can change information in your personal profile any time you wish to do so.
We have a for people who can devote substantial amounts of time (e.g. 3-4 hours per day 6-7 days a week) in order to help organize and manage volunteer teams responsible for carrying out different parts of the EIRS Project.
Current Teams and Volunteer Positions
Team and Group Leaders
Although we have several team and group leaders, we need a number more. Team leaders help recruit, train, and manage team members; communicate with team members and other team and project leaders on a regular basis; plan and carry out specific tasks within the project. Team leaders will probably need to spend a minimum of several hours per day most days of the week from now through November 2, 2004.
Data Team (Cat)
Election Regulations Curator: Collects data about state/local/county election laws and regulations for programmers to load into databases. Works with legal researchers from Lawyers Committee and Electronic Frontier Foundation to design search and display modules for such data.
Database Programmers: Enter data received from coordinators into MySQL tables and Advokit. This could involve developing automated scripts to enter data into the bases, and generate daily reports on the status of the data collection efforts. Familiarity with MySQL, Excel, and possibly AdvoKit, are important.
State/region/type data coordinator (~ 5-10 positions): Be responsible for the integrity of the polling place data for a state or region, verify the data, and prepare it for inclusion in the project databases. We are expecting this to include 5-10 states, ~300 counties, and ~ 17,000 polling places. Direct "data gatherer volunteers" and obtain data from them in standard formats. Data preparation may include geocoding of addresses for use in map displays, via www.geocoder.us or some TBD batch process.
There is also a need for coordinators for databases on electronic equipment and election officials.
Familiarity with Excel, AdvoKit, and/or MySQL would be useful, roughly in that order of priority.
Data Researchers (possibly hundreds of local volunteers): We are constantly in need of polling place, precinct, voting technology, map, and other election-related data. We need people to hunt these down. Some data will not be published on the Web, so this data may have to be obtained by phone, fax, or from print. Accurate city information is important. Verifiers will sample the filled-in lists from other volunteers to verify the data. It is likely that one person may have both kinds of work.
Programming Team (needs team leader!)
PHP coders: Would work to create new functionality and fix bugs in Advokit, PHPsurveyor, and other PHP scripts that we run on our site.
Database Coders: Strategize what data we need, and how to get it. Import data into our database. Keep database current and complete. Create stored procedures as needed, assist in query optimization. [Talk to Homee, Brooke, and David.]
JavaScript Coders: We use a small amount of JavaScript for map display and form validation; we could always use someone who is handy with JavaScript and who is familiar with the various browser incompatibilities.
HTML/CSS Coders: someone who is very good at writing clean, standards-compliant HTML and CSS code. Might also double as UI Designer/prototyper (see below).
Testing and Release Team (needs team leader!)
Release Manager: EIRS is being used by several organizations, and may ultimately be used by dozens. The release manager will build releases, and coordinate the deployment of releases to client organizations, which may involve electronic delivery of some materials to clients, but mostly involves managing release materials on our own servers.
Usability Testing Coordinator: help design usability tests; manage volunteer testers and assimilate their feedback
Testers: people who will take the time to find problems in our system and write them up. They can then own the bugs in Bugzilla and make sure they're being followed up on. Will follow up on reported cross-browser or cross-platform incompatibilities to reproduce, write up, and solve.
Owner of Bugzilla: Writes up bugs that come in from the feedback system, assigns unassigned bugs, takes action to clean up ignored bugs.
Regression Test Developer: Develop scripts and (if possible) an automated system for performing regression tests of significant subsets of system functionality, to safeguard system stability. We'd like to find someone who is intimately familiar with an automated testing tool, and/or who can write scripts for regression testing.
Load Testing Engineer: design and carry out stress testing of EIRS so we can be assured it will accomodate the loads expected on November 2.
User Interface Team (Jeff Johnson)
UI Designer/prototyper: Someone who can create nice-looking, usable mockups in HTML or MS Word to use as a basis for new user interfaces, and who can vet our existing interfaces for usability. Making our interfaces more eye-pleasing would also be a plus. Distribute to interested parties, integrate fixes and suggestions, and deliver prototypes to coders.
User feedback coordinator: Write up new bugs from users. Enroll new testers on the system. Works with training developer to update training materials. Follows up on bugs in Bugzilla.
Forms Team (needs team lead)
Forms Designers: Question and response wording, sequencing and layout
PHPSurveyor Coordinator: (see PHP Owner under Infrastructure team below)
Writing and Public Relations Team (needs team lead)
Training Material Developer: Owns the training/help files on the system. Takes the time to understand the system fully and develop on-line training materials that work for the users.
Newsletter Editor: Collects news items from the team and is responsible for delivering finished newsletter, coordinating its mailing to our lists, and following up to make sure it gets posted on our web site.
Project Managers (John McCarthy, Will Doherty, Erik Nilsson): [need description]
Product Manager: Ensures that the EIRS system is operational on test server and production server. Collects bugs and suggestions for improvement from various users of the system. Engages volunteers to create prototypes of new screens.
Volunteer Coordinator (): [need description]
Software Infrastructure Team
Webmaster & HTML Guru [Steve Enzer]: Minor changes to HTML material up on the site; also making sure our web pages validate.
Mail List Administrator: Handle one or several mail lists, checking regularly for new messages that need to be approved, approving new members.
Bugzilla Owner [Will Doherty, acting]: keep up to date with open source forums, code, etc.; install updates as necessary; act as resident expert and liaison with developers.
Wiki Owner [Will Doherty, acting]: keep up to date with open source forums, code, etc.; install updates as necessary; act as resident expert and liaison with developers.
Advokit Owner (C. Scott Ananian): keep up to date with open source forums, code, etc.; install updates as necessary; act as resident expert and liaison with developers.
MySQL Owner (C. Scott Ananian): keep up to date with open source forums, code, etc.; install updates as necessary; act as resident expert and liaison with developers.
PHP Owner (C. Scott Ananian): keep up to date with open source forums, code, etc.; install updates as necessary; act as resident expert and liaison with developers.
PHPSurveyor Owner (C. Scott Ananian): work with PHPSurveyor Coordinator on Forms Team (above); keep up to date with open source forums, code, etc.; install updates as necessary; act as resident expert and liaison with developers.
PHPAdmin Owner (C. Scott Ananian): keep up to date with open source forums, code, etc.; install updates as necessary; act as resident expert and liaison with developers.
CVS Owner (C. Scott Ananian): keep up to date with open source forums, code, etc.; install updates as necessary; act as resident expert and liaison with developers.
dotProject Owner (???): keep up to date with open source forums, code, etc.; install updates as necessary; act as resident expert and liaison with developers.
Pre-Election Interviewing and Testing Teams
State Election Officials Interviewer Team: interview state election officials and enter results into EIRS database.
Local Election Officials Interviewer Team:interview local election officials and enter results into EIRS database.
Election Equipment Testing Observer Team: Observe testing of election equipment and enter findings into EIRS database.
Election Week Teams
TechWatch Observer Teams: work with Election Protection Organizations in situations where someone with technical expertise may be helpful.
Vote Trust USA - national resource for state-based organizations supporting verifiable elections, a Verified Voting Foundation project
"The core of our American democracy is the right to vote. Implicit in that right is the notion that that vote be private, that vote be secure, and that vote be counted as it was intended when it was cast by the voter. And I think what we're encountering is a pivotal moment in our democracy where all of that is being called into question." (more here)
