2020: technology, voting transparency and public engagement

With the threat of a double-dip recession possibly still looming, it would seem millions of people are quickly losing faith in their respective Governments and local authorities. Will the media report the disheartening effect and we’ll see so many of the public turning to escapism of drugs, alcohol or suicide to escape the difficult situation billions of us are now in?

There are cutbacks everywhere – people are being forced down avenues they had not considered before, yet these do not have to be painful living conditions/learning arcs. People can find innovative measures to improve their home/food/travel/work efficiencies and arrangements.

With the threat of increasing energy bills, people are not travelling as far as they may have previously done so on a whim a mere five years ago. Now so many have to double check themselves, think twice – do I really need to do this? Or is it I just want to do this?

In this increasingly technologically connected digital world – it would seem to be apparent many people feel very disconnected and abandoned. Perhaps greater understanding of life’s processes (the economy, political planning or local authorities initiatives) that will evolve over the next few years.

The older generations speak of a ‘lost generation’ amongst our children, when we should have more faith in what they can actually pull off. The younger generation have greater access to information than any of us in generations before had. Greater informed consent can be attained on a wider scale and possibly start at a younger age than ever before.

This is a positive step as closer interconnectivity of our communities occurs. With many complaining about the inefficiency of the Census each decade, or people feeling voting is a waste of time, even those who had to wait late into the evening to be then told the voting booths were shut …. And as for international events of potentially riddled corrupt rigged elections. Too many may lost faith too quickly.

Let us look at a new option. The planet’s innovation and technology is about to move into the 4G era (and within a decade 5G technologies) which basically means extremely quick transmission of information via the internet.

The majority of people all over the world are technology users/owners and will turn their phones/smart phones/PDA’s/Tablets/televisions/radios – all these PCD’s [Personal Communication Devices] on a daily basis. We get instantaneous access from central sources who distribute all the information.

We have established two way communications – so now it should be pushed to go further. Instead of voting at polling stations, the technology is available for all registered/unregistered voters to vote on the phone.

If set up properly – the systems in place will not crash and over the course of 24 hours everyone can use their phone to vote. Or partake in surveys, or Census each ten years – more and more people will be given easier access and easier use to partake in important decision making. Instead of a poll each few years – people can partake in giant national surveys, not pitiful biased ones with small samples of several thousand when technologies will allow us to partake in our millions of persons.

Pipe dream? With results published almost immediately after the ‘PCD votes’ the public will be more engaged as they will see a true representation of people getting involved – this will encourage more people to get involved. Within ten to twenty years we could have near 100% social inclusion and near 100% people our countries voting, participating, engaging the politicians etc.

All the same questions will be used, yet additional ones can be added and a deeper understanding of our public psyche will be gained. The social dynamics of our society changes will be more easily monitored and recorded, academics, local authorities, industry will be able to react to these potential market conditions more easily and with a copious amount of raw and reliable data at hand. The cost saving measure by industry and the government (of tomorrow year) for undertaking these voting/survey methods will be cheaper to administer than present election set up’s.

Greater transparency will be evident. Any manipulation of the statistics will be held accountable by various independent organisations involved with the phone vote applications. Too many have given up faith, it explains why people are looking more and more gloom on the shopping high street, why people become more paranoid about everything going wrong and taking the economic downturn very personally. Greater transparency will lead to a more positive outlook for all, not the negative downtrodden chaos that the news keeps beaming into our living rooms of PCD’s.

Humanity is reinventing itself – we have a long way to go, yet a western world indulgence of the last half century is now just feeding back in on itself and collapsing under its own weight. Reinvention of our very lives is what can possibly fix all the global problems within 25 years. Many believe we will reorganise into smaller localised co-operatives, this again can take full advantage the phone-vote systems that may be put in place. Organisations on the other side of the planet can look at what we do here, and us observing the fashions and trends they undertake over there.

Responsive high speed communications of 4G/5G technologies, transparent stronger survey systems and global transparency will help gauge the direction we are going in on local, district, national and international levels. So who will be the first to create this innovative PCD voting system?