2. Why is this problem important?

This project is important because it envisions a system of government which might fully harness the power of the information age . We live in a world where real time information sharing, collaboration, improvement, and implementation is incredibly successful. Observe wikipedia.org, or the whole Apache software company. These are examples of where citizens of the world spend their free time creating together.

This problem is important now. As the internet changes, its processes will also change. In order for citizen government via the internet to become sucessful one day, it must begin now and develop along with this amazing transformation of society.

3. How could the Citizens League make a unique contribution?

The Citizens League could contribute to this idea by providing an investigation and discussion committee to engage with this idea.

4. What are prospects that project would yield recommendations that could be implemented and have a major impact on the problem?

The question that a project such as this will yield important gains is almost silly. A system such as this will be a normal part of political discourse within 5 or 10 years. The project's goal would be to develop a system through which citizens could shape policy through their legislator's webpage.

If the software could be developed (and it nearly is), distribution of this software would be easy, free, and very useful to any legislator who wants to know the opinions, grievances, and new ideas of their constituants.

5. Explain how this problem can be addressed by data, research, and reason? Identify probable sources for data and research.

This problem could be addressed by the research on the subject of the design and implementation of this software. Similar software already exists, and the research required to change existing software into a legislative kind would be minimal. A few people with intermediate computer coding skills are currently working on the project; a few more people of similar caliber could help complete it. An expert would indeed perfect it.

6. Explain how this proposal can be framed without partisan bias.

This proposal in not partisan in any way. It simply wishes to provide real-time data concerning drafts of legislation. It wishes to provide citizens with a convienient way to supply collaborative input, and it offers a method with which a legislator might get an immediate purview of her constituants views before voting on a bill.

There is nothing partisan about information creation, sharing, discussion, improvement, and implementation.

8. How would this project reach out to under-represented segments of the community?

This question seems to be the most applicable to this proposal. The proposal listed above might exclude portions of our population who have no access to the internet, education in how to use it, or no will to learn how to. This is an important part of the population who might be underrepresented in a proposal such as this. Fortunately, the digital divide is closing. As the costs of technology fall, as cities like Minneapolis provide city-wide internet, and as more and more people become proficient at using the internet, a proposal such as this will, instead of excluding portions of the population currently underserviced by our government, it would give strong voices to these people.