Registering to Vote at Barack Obama’s Web Site
By Matthew Weaver on October 7, 2008 at 2:00 PM in Barack Obama, Current Affairs
Registering voters is a quadrennial challenge for presidential election campaigns. It has taken on new meaning with the national voter registration laws and, especially, with the advent of the Internet. Barack Obama’s campaign offers on their Web site a one-stop opportunity for voters to register, update their registration, or to re-register.
The registration process on Barack Obama’s Web site has some serious problems: Chief among these is that it is used to collect personal information to add to the campaign’s mailing list. It also facilitates duplicate or even fraudulent voter registration.
First, consider privacy. There is none. The Obama Web site will use your voter registration information as they see fit. Here are some excerpts of their Privacy Policy:
- Personal information may be collected in a number of ways when you visit the Sites. We may collect certain information you voluntarily provide to us which may contain personal information. For example, we may collect your name, address, phone number, mobile number, email address and other contact and demographic information when you create an account, request information, sign up to be a volunteer, make a donation, request voter registration or polling location information…[emphasis added]
- In general, we use personal information we collect to process your requests or transactions, to provide you with information or services you request or that we think will be of interest to you (including without limitation information to keep you informed about the campaign, the candidates, the issues, events, resources, promotions, contests, products and services), to solicit volunteers, donations and support, to assist you in registering to vote and to finding your registration information and polling location, to help connect you with other supporters, to facilitate your use of, and our administration and operation of, the Site, to respond to your emails, submissions, comments or requests, to otherwise assist with the campaign, and for any purpose for which the information was provided.
- We may share personal information with vendors, consultants and other service providers or volunteers who are engaged by or working with us in connection with the campaign…
Although the Barack Obama Web site does offer the opportunity to opt out of use of an email subscription and gives you links to opt out of DoubleClick , 24/7 Real Media, and Yahoo Search Marketing, it does not allow you to opt out of the campaign’s use and distribution of your personal information you include on a voter registration form.
Question: Does the lack of opt out or in for the campaign’s use and distribution of your personal information provided for a voter registration form violate federal or state election laws, privacy laws, or laws addressing Internet and email privacy?
Okay, so what about the registration process at Barack Obama’s Web site?
The Web site appears to automate the National Voter Registration Form. Interestingly enough, as you enter the Web site and as it begins to ask you for personal information, it does not ask (1) if you are old enough to be asked for and to provide this personal information, (2) it does not explain how this information will be stored or used, and (3) as the data is formatted on a formal voter registration form, it does not state that duplicate registrations or using false information is or may be crimes. As noted above, regarding the Privacy Policy, there is no opt in or opt out provision.
As the registration process is completed you are asked if you are you registered to vote? The choices are Yes, No, and Not Sure. Without going into a verbose level of detail here, you are asked for your address where you will be living on Election Day. If you chose Yes or Not Sure, the Web site then looks up your registration (from where I’m not sure, but I suspect they have current or recent registered voter lists from every state). If your entered information does not match, they offer to search by your birthday or, if you might be registered in another state, by that state. If you registration cannot be found, then you are offered the choice of registering in your stated location on November 4th, as an absentee in your previously indicated state, if one entered, or to re-register somewhere else.
Okay, what does this get you?
- They ask where you will be living on November 4th and “Not where you think you’re registered.” This does not necessarily reflect state residency laws which might require, for example, that be you to be a resident for 30 days prior to the election.
- If your existing registration is not found in their list, the site takes your through the steps to register again. This does not state how current or dated their list is, nor suggest any alternatives to re-registering. Instead, the Web site wants you to register again, vote absentee if you indicated a previous state, or, surprisingly, to re-register somewhere else. Why would the latter be an option if you’ve already indicated where you will be living?!
Continuing the application, you are next asked for your telephone number. Nothing suggests it is optional. Then your mailing address (either the same as your current address or different as might then be entered). I suspect there might be some state-by-state differences on what your physical and mailing addresses may be but none of that is addressed on the Web site.
Next, you are asked is you are a U.S. citizen. If you say No, you are told that only U.S. citizens may register. There is no Quit offered on the page. You are instead offered a Back button to return and change your citizenship or a Next button that simply repeats the same page. In my mind, this flaw facilitates an individual in going back and selecting U.S. citizen so they might proceed.
Once past citizenship, you are asked for your title, which is required from the following (Mr., Mrs., Ms., or Miss). Rather constraining list but that is a nit.
Next is your political party. While you can select None, to indicate that you are simply an independent, you have to choose Other and then type in Independent. None is an obvious alternative but I wonder if some states place specific meaning on Independent?
After party you are asked for your ID. This follows the national voter registration form in asking for your driver’s license number, the last four digits of your social security number, or the word “None”. There is notice on this page in a pop-up help link that says your ID number or last four digits of your social security number will not be used, shared, or stored. This conflicts with the formal privacy policy discussed above. Which is correct?
At the end of the process a page displays with link to download a PDF copy of your voter registration in the National Voter Registration Form format. Instructions on the page gives instructions on submitting your registration form, deadlines, registration options, and voting details.
A big surprise was that after the voter verification and entry process on the Barack Obama Web site, I was offered a link to instead verify my voter registration directly at the state’s Web site without sharing my personal information with the Obama campaign. The only obvious reason this was not offered up front was that the campaign wanted to collect my personal information.
Some Conclusions
I document, develop, and test software applications in my day job (writing commentary on blogs is purely voluntary). The Barack Obama voter registration Web site is functional insofar as I used it in writing this article. I am concerned with its collection of unnecessary and optional information without disclosing that it is unnecessary or optional. Further, I especially question the use by the Obama campaign of my personal voter registration information and the additional unnecessary or optional personal information that is collected. The initial and step-by-step pages should clearly state what is and is not required and, more importantly, just how this information will or may be used. The Web site should offer a clear opt in or opt out choice. As it currently stands, there does not appear to be any means to opt out once you’ve shared your personal information with the Barack Obama campaign.
I also wonder at the complete lack of guidance on the importance of entering true and correct information; or of having only one voting registration and location. Nowhere does it say or even suggest that false or multiple registration (and voting) is a state or even federal violation of the law.
Finally, I am irked that the Web site shares at the end of everything the link to directly verify registration at the state’s Web site. This should be up front!
Despite the time I spent on this, I’m not sure it is newsworthy. First, I am not sure if this is any different than any other voter registration site, e.g., McCain’s, if he has one. Second, I doubt if it breaks any laws, even though the questions are valid. Third, as only Obama supporters would be registering at their site, I doubt they’d complain—though the more libertarian among them would be offended. Fourth, the real problem lies with the national voter registration law that does not spell out the responsibilities and penalties when registering. And, finally, fifth, the challenge is really upon the respective states to police the voter registrations when submitted. This latter is put to the test with this election cycle’s volume and with same day registration and vote situations like is now occurring in Ohio and will occur in other states (such as Idaho that allow someone to walk in, register, and vote on election day). I’m sure neither Ohio and Idaho are unique.
Your thoughts?
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