"Wiki the Vote" Project Open-Sources Candidate Info

Gabriela writes "Wiki the Vote was just launched on Congresspedia.org for citizens, professional researchers, and even candidates to collaborate on profiles for each and every candidate for Congress in 2008. The project is non-partisan and, in true open source fashion, is free for anyone to participate — even the candidates themselves. Unlike Wikipedia, people connected to the subjects of articles are free to add to them as long as their contributions are rhetoric-free and comprised of fully documented, verifiable facts. The citizen editors are assisted and fact-checked by professional editors. The project is starting with nearly 300 basic profiles of candidates that 2008RaceTracker has identified as definitely running, and will eventually expand to cover every candidate on the ballot in the primary and general elections next year. When the OpenSecrets.org 2008 congressional campaign contributions database goes online in a few weeks, the candidate profiles will also display live feeds tracking the money race and who is funding them."

Comments

So, err...

[Penguinisto]

...how on Earth are they going to insure that the "professional editors" don't insert their own not-so-blatant ideological and political slants into the mix?

I mean, seriously; if the Guardian / Independent Washington Post/Times and New York Times / Wall Street Journal editorial (and I daresay even political news) slants have taught us anything, it is that professional editors can be just as slanted as the amateurs, and even more subtly so.

/P

One word: Awesome.

[NeutronCowboy]

Yes, I know. It will be full of propaganda and one-sided views. Even the most OCD-addled citizen editors will have a hard time competing with the attention of someone who gets paid to do the "right" edits.

However, this will mean that every candidate will finally be in one place. If I want to know Ron Paul's position on abortion and compare it with Hillary Clinton's, I can go to one site (and edit the pages - nyuck nyuck nyuck). Combined with the integration with opensecrets.org, I can do actual, honest to god research on ALL candidates trying to represent me, and vote accordingly.

I welcome our new congress-critter overlords - me, you and everyone else.

A bit rosy? For sure. But it this is a significant development for citizens trying to cast an informed vote. We might be going from totally and utterly craptastic to slightly less craptastic, but it's progress - the first true progress I've seen in ages. Now if we could just get redistricting fixed....

Re:Huh

[Spy der Mann]

Wiki my vote? I though Diebold had a patent on that?

No, their patent is for Search and Replace :)

Re:Wikipedia edit wars redux

[Skrynesaver]

Unfortunately politics seem to have been reduced to two different spins on any issue which are wholly unrelated to the facts.

Each side then believes what they wish and objective truth, science or even video evidence are then discounted, the various media channels then publicise the spin of their chosen side and no one even gets to hear the facts.

I'm afraid democracy may not survive, this is not a problem exclusive to the united States but exists throughout modern western democracies.

The demos needs open honest moderated debate, instead we get two groups of PR agencies promulgating their opinions without ever interacting with each other.

I genuinely fear for the health of our democracies</rant>

Or maybe I've become an old fart when I wasn't paying attention and the world is suddenly going to hell in a handcart

Re:Nancy Pelosi ON WHEELS!!!

[Volante3192]

[citation needed]