Opening an architecture

[Martin Häcker]

Hi Michael,

> 1. Registration framework
> -------------------------
> 
> A registration framework is for identifying users and authenticating
> them as voters.  The framework below is already partly designed and
> implemented, as a pre-alpha prototype.^[2]
> 
>    http://zelea.com/project/edo/registration-network.png
> 
> What the sketch above says is that different locales (X Region, Y
> City, and so forth) are responsible for maintaining their own voter
> registers.  They can also choose their own software for this purpose,
> from any supplier.  Each supplier's "local voter register" component
> is plug compatible with those of other suppliers, so they all work
> together in a coordinated fashion.  Coordination is necessary so that
> voters can register at the local level, and be authenticated just
> once, yet vote in all polls (local, federal, and so forth).
> 
>    http://zelea.com/project/edo/registration-framework.png
> 
> Not only the voter registers are plug compatible, but also the voting
> engines.  (That's what the diagram above says.)  So X Region might be
> using a Liquid Feedback engine, while Y City is using a Votorola
> engine and Z City is using both - some polls being voted in one
> engine, some in the other.  Eventually the voters might settle on a
> single engine for general use.  In any case, they will always have the
> choice of trying out new engines, whenever they appear.

There is already work starting on this - even though it is still in it's infancy, for some early notes, see here: <http://wiki.piratenpartei.de/Benutzer:Pudo/Liquid_Democracy_-_OpenID_Extensions>

> 3. Classification framework
> ---------------------------
> 
> A classification framework is for categorizing polls and positions,
> and creating navigable views.  The diagram below is a paper-napkin
> sketch, with no real design behind it.  We can at least forsee that
> classification is likely to require data input from most of the core
> components, as well as the voters.

For the liqd.de aproach we have always considered this not doable yet and have fallen back to just using Folksonnomies <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folksonomy> to create this categorisationing.

I do like your ideas to help this process by datamining. (We haven't really started tinking about this yet)

> 4. Autocasting framework
> ------------------------
> 
> An autocasting framework is a convenience for voters who are unable to
> spend much time in direct participation, but nevertheless wish to
> vote.  The central component (autocaster) is a personalized voting
> agent.  You (as a voter) choose a particular autocaster from among the
> competing designs, and then set it to work.  It analyzes your past
> voting behaviour with the help of classification engines, and based on
> this it creates a working profile of your interests.  It then locates
> matching candidate positions in various polls and recommends them to
> you.  If you allow, it will go even further, taking your place at the
> polls by casting and recasting votes on your behalf.  (You might still
> override it, of course, in particular polls.)

I'd like to stay away from automatic voting for quite some time to come as this opens up a can of worms I'm not sure we are ready to handle yet. Making it propose interesting polls is a really neat idea though, and being able to run it on your own machine would be extra sweet (you control the environment it runs in)

Nice work!

Regards,
Martin