The Daily Tar Heel
2 November 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
Student Journalism
North Carolina, United States
North Carolina takes a multipronged approach to election security. Unique serial numbers on mail-in ballots allow the voter to be removed from the system once they are processed. Hundreds of thousands of test ballots are run through voting machines and audited for accuracy. Polling sites are observed by bipartisan poll watchers and trained officials and voting machines are never connected to the internet. Paper receipts are securely stored in case of a recount or audit. Results are stored on encrypted data sticks and locked in high-security facilities operated by state and county boards of elections.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2015/0531/Can-tweeters-be-tamed-video
Harry Bruinius
Christian Science Monitor
31 May 2015
Text / Over 3000 Words
In an age of uncivil social media, a simple tweet can bring a torrent of threats and taunts. Online groups – digital vigilantes – are uncovering the anonymous people behind many of the taunts, and many states are trying to reboot the parameters of online behavior by outlawing various forms of cyberharassment.
http://theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/02/democracy-tarnished-brand-desperate-need-reinvention
Patrick Chalmers
The Guardian
2 July 2016
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Low voter turnouts, populists offering half-truths, corporate interests, and the blurring of facts in the media are signs that democracy around the world is in turmoil. Internationally, citizens have assembled different programs and initiatives that arm ordinary people with information about policy and their elected officials, as well as distinctive ways to reform the electoral system.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/02/us/politics/oregon-voter-registration.html?_r=0
Niraj Chokshi
The New York Times
2 December 2016
Text / Under 800 Words
Low voter turnout has affected the results of numerous elections across the country. Oregon gave its residents the choice to opt in instead of out when receiving government services, in the hopes of increasing voter turnout.
https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/09/15/meet-the-male-champions-supporting-kenyas-new-women-politicians
Sophie Mbugua
News Deeply
15 September 2017
Text / 800-1500 Words
In Kenya, men have been overrepresented in government positions, sparking new legislation that women should occupy at least one-third of the public elected body. Men have become increasingly involved in helping women get elected by helping them campaign, protecting their safety, overseeing election procedures etc.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2015/03/estonia-redefines-national-security-digital-age-150318065430514.html
Molly McCluskey
Al Jazeera
20 March 2015
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Estonia is preparing to protect itself digitally from any neighbouring enemies. To do so it is trying to create 'data embassies', that would have the same protections as physical embassies, in order to protect the digital continuity of the people
https://apolitical.co/solution_article/meet-arachnid-crawler-hunting-child-abuse-photos-across-web
Edward Siddons
Apolitical
5 December 2017
Text / 800-1500 Words
For all the positive tools and platforms the internet has helped create over the decades, it can also be an extremely dark place, and has unfortunately enabled the horrific and wide-spread sharing of millions of images depicting child abuse, including of rape and torture. Artificial Intelligence - specifically the Arachnid web crawler launched by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection - is proving the most efficient and effective weapon in shutting down these abominable sites, combing through scores of data at a speed no human or government can match, and issuing takedown notices.
https://splinternews.com/can-this-texas-county-fix-america-s-electronic-voting-p-1793861946
Sarah Lai Stirland
Splinter
16 September 2016
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Making sure that voting systems are fair and accurate has become a major concern in the wake of rigging allegations in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Homomorphic encryption, now beginning to be used in the financial and healthcare industries, can anonymize voter data while creating a publicly available record that anyone can use to verify election results. The idea is being piloted in Travis County, Texas, the latest move in a push for more trustworthy voting systems.
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/2015/1026/What-is-human-trafficking
Michael Holtz
Christian Science Monitor
26 October 2015
Multi-Media / 1500-3000 Words
Human trafficking can take an array of forms, it can happen in the sea, the dark web, and while working in the U.S. However, technological advancements are being used counter traffickers.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/5/23/17383400/vote-by-mail-home-california-alaska-nebraska
David Roberts
Vox
23 May 2018
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Voting is easy when a ballot arrives in your mailbox. Vote-at-home increases turnout in all precincts and elections in which it’s available. It significantly outperforms all combinations of other innovations such as absentee ballots, early in-person voting, same-day registration and election-day registration.
http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/15/a-grass-roots-drive-for-clean-elections-in-karnataka
Ankita Rao
The New York Times
15 May 2014
Text / 800-1500 Words
B. Godihal is one of the thousands of communities in Karnataka that have worked to hold clean elections, stirred by a confluence of awareness campaigns by nongovernmental organizations and rising public frustration with candidates’ broken promises.
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