Is Technology Driving Us Towards The "Borderless" Election?
In 2004, The Guardian asked its readers in the U.K. to write letters to
American voters in Clark County, Ohio, voicing their opinions about the
presidential election. All of it was documented online, and American
voters spoke back. Fast forward four years, online media, particularly
citizen media, has grown, and political opinions are increasingly
shared in a matter of seconds across national boundaries. How will this
affect the way Americans vote in 2008 and later? How will it shape
electioneering and politicking in the United States and the rest of the
world?
Chair: Phil Noble - Founder, PoliticsOnline
Phil
Noble is one of the top experts in the US and internationally on the
use of the Internet in the civic sector – media, politics,
governments and non-profits.
Noble
is the founder of PoliticsOnline and its affiliated company Phil
Noble & Associates, an international public affairs consulting
firm. PoliticsOnline is responsible for over a dozen major global
innovations and industry first. They have developed major e-democracy
and interactive projects for such clients as the BBC, European Union,
United Nations, Amnesty International, and numerous political
parties, NGOs, media companies and corporations.
Noble
is a veteran of over 350 political campaigns and public affairs
projects in 40 states and 35 countries and he has worked to elect the
head of state in 15 countries. He and his companies have received
numerous awards and recognitions for their work in the US and
internationally.
Mike Connell - President of New Media Communications
Mike Connell is
president of New Media Communications and a partner in the online advertising
firm Connell Donatelli Inc. Mike is recognized internationally as a pioneer in
the field of online politics. His clients include the Republican National
Committee, John McCain 2008, the
Bush-Cheney campaigns of 2000 and 2004, the National Rifle Association, USAID, Newt Gingrich’s American Solutions and
a number of statewide campaigns. Connell advises international leaders and
provides online strategy to help emerging democracies around the globe.
Paul DeGregorio, Chief Operating Officer – Everyone Counts, Inc
Paul DeGregorio has spent his
professional career focused on the promotion of democracy and the use of
innovative technology in the field of elections worldwide. As COO of Everyone Counts, DeGregorio is a
strong advocate of the use of the internet in the election process,
particularly secure online voting programs that can especially empower remote
and disabled voters in public and private sector elections. In 2007, open-sourced-based Everyone Counts achieved
significant online voting success in British and Australian public elections,
and in February 2008 provided the technology that allowed US Democrats
living abroad the opportunity to vote in a binding online presidential
primary that elected delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Prior to joining Everyone
Counts as COO, DeGregorio served as a Commissioner with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC)
from 2003-2007, including terms as chairman and vice-chairman. As the chief
election official of the United States he helped to distribute $3 billion
dollars to the states to implement the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and was also
responsible for establishing some of the EAC’s first voting system guidelines
and best practices.
DeGregorio has provided his
technical expertise in elections to over 25 nations. From 1993-2003 DeGregorio served as a technical consultant and then rose to become
Executive Vice President and COO of the International Foundation for Election
Systems (IFES), a non-profit organization that has been fostering democracy and
the rule of law worldwide since 1987. He
has also conducted considerable work for the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), including 2007 election assessments in Estonia,
Ireland, Belgium and Switzerland.
Prior to his work with IFES,
DeGregorio served as the Director of Elections for St. Louis County, Missouri,
from 1985-1993.
DeGregorio has received
numerous awards and citations, including the prestigious Freedom Award from the
National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) for his achievements in
promoting democracy & freedom worldwide, and with lifetime memberships by
the election officials’ organizations of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the
International Association of Clerks, Recorders, Election Officials and
Treasurers (IACREOT).
DeGregorio is a graduate of
the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where he also served as Director of
Outreach and currently is an advisor to the College of Arts & Sciences. He resides
with his wife and family in St. Louis, Missouri.
ALSO WITH
Richard Allen - The Guardian (UK)
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