Designers for Democracy Suggest Photographing Polling Place

Today, November 7, 2006, a tiny percentage of United States citizens will decide which individuals will represent everyone in Washington D.C. In order to document this event, the American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA) and Design for Democracy are supporting the Polling Place Photo Project. William Drenttel of Design Observer initiated the project in collaboration with Jay Rosen, founder of NewAssignment.Net.

This project pursued two goals:

1. To archive and document the voting process in order to provide a record for research on "how voting happens in America and how it can be easier, less confusing and more enjoyable."
2. To make sure the election isn't stolen, votes aren't miscounted and to provide protesters and activists a photographic record if necessary to support claims of fraud.
   

Keep in mind that local laws vary greatly and any would-be citizen journalist should be familiar with her or his statutes before snapping pictures of happy voters. Lauren Gelman, deputy director of the Center for Internet & Society at Stanford Law School, has posted a blog entry covering that question.