Ideas worth spreading

What's needed to bring the US voting system into the 21st century

1,571,178 views |

Tiana Epps-Johnson |

TED Salon: Zebra Technologies

• November 2018

The American election system is complicated, to say the least -- but voting is one of the most tangible ways that each of us can shape our communities. How can we make the system more modern, inclusive and secure? Civic engagement champion Tiana Epps-Johnson shares what's needed to bring voting in the US into the 21st century -- and to get every person to the polls.

The American election system is complicated, to say the least -- but voting is one of the most tangible ways that each of us can shape our communities. How can we make the system more modern, inclusive and secure? Civic engagement champion Tiana Epps-Johnson shares what's needed to bring voting in the US into the 21st century -- and to get every person to the polls.

This talk was presented at a TED Salon event given in partnership with Zebra Technologies. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TED Salons.

Learn more about the Center for Technology and Civic Life.

Register to vote. If you move, make sure to update your registration. And encourage your friends and family to register as well.

About the speaker

Tiana Epps-Johnson

Tiana Epps-Johnson

See speaker profile

At the Center for Tech and Civic Life, Tiana Epps-Johnson works to make the US election system more modern, inclusive and secure.

Presidential Commission on Election Administration, 2014 | Explore

The American Voting Experience: Report and Recommendations of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration

This report published in 2014 by the bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration (PCEA) provides an in-depth look at election administration in the United States and provides concrete best practices that election officials should adopt to support today's voters. Among other things, the PCEA report argues that, "The last decade's heightened demand for more professional administration of elections and modernization of the process demonstrates that there is an increasing need for technology acumen, public relations skills, and data savvy among election officials."

Dana Chisnell | Medium, | Article

"The Epic Journey of American Voters"

This short piece by Dana Chisnell, co-director at Center for Civic Design (CCD), summarizes what CCD's research with voters reveals about the challenges people encounter throughout the voting process in the US. Chisnell argues that the common understanding of "voter apathy" gets it wrong. Instead, "CCD's research shows that the people who don’t care are very few. Deep down, almost everyone does care about voting, and they feel shame for not doing it. The real problem is that voting in America is just hard."

Anthea Watson Strong | Medium, 2014 | Article

"The Three Levers of Civic Engagement"

This post by product manager Anthea Watson Strong outlines a framework for interrogating whether people will (or won't) interact with digital tools designed to promote civic engagement. Watson Strong reminds us that "users are rational actors … who still have dinner to make." And she argues that technologists need to invest more effort in thinking about the ways tools can reduce the "cost" of civic action and increase the probability that a civic action will impact an outcome.

About TED Salon

TED Salons welcome an intimate audience for an afternoon or evening of highly-curated TED Talks revolving around a globally relevant theme. A condensed version of a TED flagship conference, they are distinct in their brevity, opportunities for conversation, and heightened interaction between the speaker and audience.

Read more about TED Salons

This talk was presented at a TED Salon event given in partnership with Zebra Technologies. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TED Salons.

Learn more about the Center for Technology and Civic Life.

Register to vote. If you move, make sure to update your registration. And encourage your friends and family to register as well.