------------------------------ From: Jeffery Aldrich Subject: EPIC (Effective Performance in Candidates) Date: Tue, 20 Nov 90 16:37:51 pst ******************************************************************** *** CuD #2.13: File 2 of 5: EPIC Project (by Jeff Aldrich) *** ******************************************************************** Constitutional Rights and the Electronic Community (Copyright, 1990) Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. Will Rogers CPSR (Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility) and the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) have done a great deal in a very short time to awaken the political consciousness of the electronic community. The EFF managed to take some of the steam from the enforcement train railroading members of the CU and gave this community its first taste of political victory. No doubt these victories will continue to strengthen individual rights in the virtual world. As a student of electronic democracy, I am an ardent supporter of the goals expressed by the EFF. the goals expressed by the EFF. With six years devoted to personal and professional interest in the civil rights and political issues facing the electronic community. Jim Thomas has asked on several occasions that I write something for CuD about The EPIC (Effective Performance in Candidates) Project, a nonprofit group I founded last year. A description of The EPIC Project is included in this article as background information. Political action by a nonprofit is limited by law. Most of what we learn about electronic politicking in the nonprofit must be used elsewhere. I was hired earlier this year to help qualify a citizen initiative for the November elections in California. The measure included a provision making public use of computer telecommunications a state constitutional right. This article focuses on that effort and concludes with a notice of plans underway for 1992. The EPIC Project This project is an extension of research conducted at Sacramento State University focusing on the impact of electronic democracy in American politics. We *may* have created a back-door link of computer telecommunication technology to the U.S. Constitution (Campaign Industry News, Feb. 1990). We're years away from solving the dependent variable dilemma of a Supreme Court test. Board members include Dave Hughes (the founding father of electronic democracy) and Dr. Gene Shoemaker, constitutional scholar and author of the War Powers Act (1974). Projects include R&D of software to insure text data integrity from a network distribution source via end user verification software; research into the development of national electronic political party organizations (Communications Daily, 2-2-90), and; research compiled on the Sundevil raids assisted Ohio Supreme Court Justice William McMahon, ABA Technology and the Courts Committee chairman, in opening a Sundevil subcommittee looking into federal court rule changes. This subcommittee and Judge McMahon are now working closely with the EFF. Political Action and Electronic Rights With all the consternation over abused constitutional rights in the online community this year, Californians missed an opportunity to vote themselves a Constitutional Right to telecommunicate. Below is part of the opening text from a file containing a print, sign and snail mail ballot initiative signature petition to qualify a proposed California Constitutional Amendment for the November 1990 general election (Western Edition WSJ 4-20-90; Middlesex News 4-23-90). I directed the statewide electronic file distribution and speech forums: CALIFORNIANS FOR RESPONSIBLE REPRESENTATION INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY -- ELECTRONIC CITIZENS and THE CALIFORNIA CONSTITUTION are linked by THE FAIR REDISTRICTING INITIATIVE What your signature and signatures which you gather can do for you and your family (and your business), is provide a Constitutional Right to electronic citizen oversight of Legislative redistricting plans -- right in your home computer --if you like! There are now NO RULES for drawing voting district lines to establish a competitive election process. The FAIR REDISTRICTING INITIATIVE lays out specific rules to PREVENT REPETITION OF PAST ABUSES BY INCUMBENT POLITICIANS and eliminates the possibility of gerrymandering -- the drawing of electoral district lines to protect incumbents and deny fair representation. One of the most important SECTIONS included in this Initiative creates electronic citizen oversight of redistricting or reapportionment plans drafted by the Legislature before any legislative action: SECTION 5: The Legislature shall DISSEMINATE and make PUBLICLY available, in hard copy and COMPUTER-READABLE FORMAT, any data base or other information submitted or developed for its use in establishing and redistricting or reapportionment plans... NO PLANS WILL BE DRAWN BEHIND CLOSED DOORS TO PROTECT INCUMBENT POWER THAT DESTROYS YOUR RIGHT TO REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT. THE INITIATIVE PROVIDES A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO KNOW PLANS BEFORE ANY ACTION IS TAKEN -- IN COMPUTER-READABLE FORMAT WITH ELECTRONIC CITIZEN OVERSIGHT. IT'S ABOUT TIME FOR THE BEGINNING OF INFORMATION AGE DEMOCRACY IN CALIFORNIA Are you ready to join other people of the world in this era our politicians praise as the "Decade of Democracy?" Are you tired of cheering the democratic victories of others? Your opportunity to take action in the name of DEMOCRACY is right in front of you. The Revolutionary Power of the Information Age is at your fingertips. THE FAIR REDISTRICTING INITIATIVE lets you put that power to work for you!! *** end *** In addition to the first effort at state level constitutional rights to telecommunicate, and to access government data in electronic form, this was the first statewide electronic distribution of print and sign political action material. In April and May of this year, issues about constitutional rights were still considered boring as dirt to most of the online community. The discussions that follow are excerpts from a WELL conference on the initiative. It is not presented as a representative sample and is reprinted with permission. Topic 333: Californians seek Information Age Democracy -- print Jeff Aldrich (jefrich) Mon, Apr 23, '90 (22:35) 18 One item I've noticed absent from this discussion is any reference to the fact that this initiative, if passed, will link this technology to the Ca Constitution by creating a constitutionally mandated right of public access to specific info in "computer-readable" format. With the volume of discussion I've seen in the Well on Electronic Citizenship and the need for same, I find it rather odd there has yet been commentary posted on this aspect of the initiative. And what about the fact that for the first time in Ca history an initiative is being distributed, in complete form, electronically -- giving people an opportunity to make an informed decision prior to signing a petition to qualify a measure for statewide ballot? Instead of some fellow pushing a pen at you to sign something on an ironing board when you leave the grocery store. Topic 333: Californians seek Information Age Democracy -- print # 26: Daniel A. Murphy (murphy) Tue, Apr 24, '90 (21:39) Jeff: I think you're looking at Fenno's paradox. Look at what people think of *their* representative, not Congress as a whole. For the most part, people support their representative, and where they don't (e.g. Cranston) it's clear they aren't likely prospects for reelection. Topic 333: Californians seek Information Age Democracy -- print # 29: David Gans (tnf) Wed, Apr 25, '90 (10:49) 4 In the long run, information access would tend to produce a better informed electorate. If you don't think the GOP takes public apathy and stupidity to the bank and the ballot box year after year, you haven't been paying attention! Topic 333: Californians seek Information Age Democracy -- print # 31: harry henderson (hrh) Wed, Apr 25, '90 (17:39) The GOP don't have a monopoly on taking voter stupidity to the bank. The Democrats also have a specialty: economic shell games that take advantage of voters' lack of knowledge of basic economic principles like supply and demand, incentive, etc. Topic 333: Californians seek Information Age Democracy -- print # 32: Jeff Aldrich (jefrich) Wed, Apr 25, '90 (18:02) The fact is, while we sit around on our butt's chewing the finer points of who's doing what to who, we're all loosing the right to access government data information. I just got a report today from the firm in Sacramento counting signatures on petitions that have come in. The few we've received on computer printed paper are from sysop's I've been working with -- Zero from the Well. The point is we have an opportunity to open a door that is closed and being welded shut. I'm beginning to wonder if all the talk here in the Well about how great the concept of Electronic Citizenship is -- protect our future, power to those without power, etc. -- was little more than sanctimonious rubbish. Topic 333: Californians seek Information Age Democracy -- print # 33: Bob Jacobson (bluefire) Wed, Apr 25, '90 (18:34) I think an initiative targeted on open information would be clearer, easier to understand, less expensive to run, and more certain of passage. Topic 333: Californians seek Information Age Democracy -- print # 34: Daniel A. Murphy (murphy) Wed, Apr 25, '90 (18:54) I agree completely with Bob. Better information access would help the process; it shouldn't me mixed up with a reapportionment scheme. Topic 333: Californians seek Information Age Democracy -- print # 35: David Gans (tnf) Wed, Apr 25, '90 (20:02) 2 And phrases like "sanctimonious rubbish" aren't likely to inspire very many people around here. Topic 333: Californians seek Information Age Democracy -- print # 36: Jeff Aldrich (jefrich) Thu, Apr 26, '90 (01:53) Your right, David, that remark does not belong here. Bob's right on all four items. Such an initiative would be easier to understand and pass. But I don't have any problems with constitutional access tied to this initiative. Neither does the Rose Institute at Clairmont. My difficulty is understanding the inactivity from the Well. Topic 333: Californians seek Information Age Democracy -- print # 37: Robert Deward (bobd) Thu, Apr 26, '90 (13:37) 6 Are there any models for an initiative addressing open access to govt. information? I can check with Reference Point if no one has anything handy. This sounds to me like a perfect issue on which to test our beliefs about the efficacy of the on-line medium. What do you people think? Topic 333: Californians seek Information Age Democracy -- print # 38: Daniel A. Murphy (murphy) Thu, Apr 26, '90 (18:41) It will be interesting to see if electronically-circulated petitions become common, as part of conventional signature-gathering campaigns. Topic 333: Californians seek Information Age Democracy -- print # 39: Art (arb) Thu, Apr 26, '90 (19:29) 2 lines Gee, Bobd, sounds like this project would have been a perfect match for your Electronic Citizenship project with a Gateway! Topic 333: Californians seek Information Age Democracy -- print # 40: Dave Hughes (dave) Sun, Apr 29, '90 (07:08) 29 Any objection from posters so far to my copying this out for Colorado candidate for Secretary of State Aaron Harber (D)? (He is a Harvard grad, serious challenger, owned two computer companies, and forced the current incumbent to better automate the SecStates office last race. One of his main themes is better citizen access to government, and he is ready for fresh electronic communications ideas to show voters that the Repub Sec of State is not doing all she could to use modern technology to give people that access. He is mulling over my suggestion to use the state telecom network (sorry US West) which is little used nights and weekends to put terminals in county offices for free citizen access to state government in Denver across a wide range of info - including state laws, regs, voter lists, licensing data, candidate reports etc) He might find this useful to think how to break out of the traditional mind-set about where/how 'official' political information is stored/distributed. It seems to me that the objection above about individual citizens not being that interested in mountains of facts misses a point. There are always local activists who would scour such facts, extract useful info, and present to local people. If they had timely, cheap, and total access to publicly stored info. Media is supposed to be doing this 'for the voters' and up to a point, on hot 'mass interest' topics do. But news media are decliningly useful sources of information about government. Topic 333: Californians seek Information Age Democracy -- print # 42: Jeff Aldrich (jefrich) Tue, May 1, '90 (21:45) the latest signature count has too many printed petition forms from all over the state for me to trace back to the well. I suspect several came from Wellies...thanks for the effort Bob, my research has yet uncovered a 'model access' amendment. If we can't come up with one ready-made, anyone with ideas on using resources here in the Well to pull one together for Calif. in '92? Or failing that, what about ideas on our ability to pull the industry together to support such an effort? +-+-+-+-+-+ END OF WELL CONFERENCE +-+-+-+-+-+ Most of the discussion in the WELL conference focused on the politics behind the measure, rather than looking at benefits extended to the electronic community. It's said that timing in politics is everything. If concerns about Operation Sundevil had been two months earlier, or our filing deadlines two months later, The FAIR REDISTRICTING INITIATIVE would have collected enough signatures to qualify for the November General Election. Initiative '92 -- Computer Rights and Economic Impact on Business We learned a lot about the online community from distributing the ballot measure earlier this year -- from identifying politically active systems statewide, to distribution, to political issues considered palatable by the electronic community. Successful efforts to promote computer rights and industry growth utilizing the electronic distribution initiative process in California offer a range of policy issues including, but not limited to, the following: legislative info in data format dispensed at no cost to info service companies providing educational access; incentives for development of rural telecommuting centers, including a) increased rate of return on investment for rural telephone utilities, b) redirecting transportation funds to reduce site construction and development costs, c) business tax incentives for participation in rural telecommunicating centers; revision of computer crime statutes and enforcement procedures; association member access to, and use of, California State University computer systems for the purpose of increasing international trade in conjunction with the California State World Trade Commission, and; add telecommuting projects to the smart Freeway Corridor Telecommunications Demonstration Project by redirection of Federal Transportation Appropriations. There is no question all of these items will be considered in the drafting of a 1992 California ballot measure. The measure will also include language mandating that computer telecommunications become a state constitutional right. Many of the issues listed above have the potential to create positive economic impact for general business, trade associations and specific computer industries. As a focal point of the initiative, Rural telecommuting development cuts to a broad based, organized constituency. I've been retained by clients interested in forming a committee to sponsor development of this initiative. I have been asked to determine the support, if any, of others interested in forming a sponsor committee. And to determine if the level of this support is sufficient to justify further activity. Committee membership guidelines: Committee Member Sponsor $7,500.00 < per 1 vote > Total Committee Member Sponsors < ten > Minimum Committee Member Sponsors to vest < five > Committee will vest January 7, 1991. Letters of intent to fund are due and payable no latter than January 4, 1991. Failure to vest refunds are due and payable January 17, 1991. For more information concerning the formation of this ballot measure committee, contact: Jeff Aldrich jefrich@well.ca.us Aldrich & Associates, Voice: (707)426-1679 Political Consulting Fax: (707)425-9811 2791F North Texas, Suite 341 Fairfield, CA 94533 ******************************************************************** >> END OF THIS FILE << *************************************************************************** Downloaded From P-80 International Information Systems 304-744-2253 12yrs+