D. Paul Stanford talks about Oregon Measure 80

Etopia News host Marc Strassman interviews D. Paul Stanford, Founder of the Hemp and Cannabis Foundation, about Oregon Measure 80, recorded from Portland, Oregon, on October 14, 2012.

Regulating Marijuana Like Alcohol in Colorado

Etopia News host Marc Strassman interviews Mason Tvert, co-director of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol/Yes on Amendment 64 in Colorado, recorded from Denver, Colorado, on October 12, 2012.

Satwant Kaur on Emerging Electoral Technologies

Etopia News host Marc Strassman talks with Satwant Kaur, known as the "First Lady of Emerging Technologies," about the impact of these emerging technologies on the 2012 presidential campaign, recorded on October 9, 2012.

Electoral Evolution Beyond Online Voter Registration

Etopia News host Marc Strassman conducts a panel discussion about online voter registration and related electoral technologies with Mark Thomas, Director of Elections in Utah; Matt Roberts, Director of Communications in the Office of the Secretary of State of Arizona; and Shane Hamlin, Co-director of Elections in Washington State, recorded using Google+ Hangouts On Air, on October 9, 2012.

Peter Meisen at GENI talks about virtually-unlimited wind power

Peter Meisen, Director of the Global Energy Network Institute (GENI), talks about two recent studies indicating that wind power alone can provide roughly 10 times the electric power needed worldwide, recorded from San Diego, California, on October 5, 2012.

 

Senator Yee agrees to take Smart Initiatives proposal "under advisement"

A staffer in the office of California State Senator Leland Yee, author of SB 397, which, since September 19, 2012, allows eligible Californians to register to vote online, today responded to my suggestion that the right of online signing be extended to initiative and other official petitions, thereby implementing what I call "Smart Initiatives."

In an e-mail entitled "Online Petition," the staffer wrote:

"We have not determined what our bill package will look like next year. Your requested proposal will be taken under advisement."

I replied with an e-mail of my own:

"Thanks for your note, and for taking my proposal for 'Smart Initiatives' under advisement.

"There would be many advantages to a system that allows Californians to sign initiative, referendum, recall, and in lieu petitions online, many of them similar to those of the system for allowing them to register to vote online that was implemented by Senator Yee’s SB 397.  These include ease of use for signers and reduced cost and effort for state and county election officials.

"You can read a short defense of Smart Initiatives that I wrote in 2000 at:

http://www.etopiamedia.net/si/pdfs/gsa1.pdf

"You can read a lot more about Smart Initiatives at:

http://www.etopiamedia.net/si/pages/si1-5551212.html

"Please feel free to contact me as you proceed to consider Smart Initiatives as part of next year’s bill package.  I’d be glad to discuss its advantages and how it might be implemented with you at your convenience.

"Now that the Secretary of State has implemented a system for transferring official voter signatures from DMV records to electronic versions of the voter registration form, most of the technical work needed to create Smart Initiatives has already been done.  Modifying this system to allow the use of these digitized signatures on initiative and other official petition forms would likely not even require as much work or expense as was already needed to develop and deploy  the new online voter registration system.

"Thanks again for your consideration of this important electoral reform proposal."

 

Open Letter to Senator Yee asking about Smart Initiatives

September 22, 2012

Dear Senator Yee,

In 1999, I proposed, in the “California Internet Voting Initiative”, the creation of a system “for voter registration and voting by use of the Internet from the home, workplace, or any other location chosen by a person who is eligible to vote.” 

Your bill, SB 397, has, as of September 19, 2012, now implemented the first part of my 13-year-old proposal.

 

I wanted to thank you for creating and facilitating the passage of this legislation, which, as you know, allows for the transfer of a digital version of a citizen’s signature on file with the DMV in order to fulfill the requirement that their affidavit of registration contain a valid copy of that signature.

Around the same time I also proposed, in the “Smart Initiatives Initiative”, that official initiative, referendum, recall, and in lieu petitions ought be able to be legitimately signed using online digital technology.

I was wondering if you might now consider authoring a bill to implement this “Smart Initiatives” proposal as well, using the same principles and logic that justified the expansion of voter registration rights to include an online alternative.

Regards,

Marc Strassman