e Petition Paper Final
Transcript of e Petition Paper Final
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By: Elana Goldstein, Daniel Clark, Aman Jain & Wayne Moses Burke
Government Sponsored
E-Peo:A Guide for Development
and Implementation
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Itodco: Oeiew o E-Peo .................................1
Ke Deciio i E-Peo Impemeto.......................2
Determining Engagement Goals.................................
2
ConnecngE-PeonstoDecision-Making .............. 4
ManagingtheCizen-GovernmentInteracon........ 6
TechnicalConsideraons.............................................7
Evaluaon ...................................................................10
Case Study: We the People United States......................12
Case Study: Queensland, Australia ....................................20
Case Study: Bristol, England................................................26
Conclusion .............................................................................33
TablE Of COnTEnTsAmericaSpeaks andE-Peoig
AmericaSpeaksworkone-peonsemerges
outofourmissiontoengagecizensinthe
decision-makingthatimpactstheirlives.
E-peonsoeranewmeansforgovernments
toinvolvecizensintheformaldecision-makingprocess,andifimplementedcorrectly,
e-peonscanimproveparcipaonand
increasegovernmenttransparency.Peoning,
andelectronicpeoningmorespecically,
embodiesmanyoftheengagementprinciples
aroundwhichAmericaSpeaksstructuresits
work.Westrivetoengagediverseaudiences,
createlinksbetweencizensanddecision-
makers,anddevelopclearcizenpriories,all
ofwhichcanbeachievedthroughasuccessful
e-peonprocess.
Webelievethate-peonsoeranexcing
opportunityforgovernmentstoengagecizens
inaproducvedialogueaboutpolicy-making
andhavegreatpotenaltostrengthenthe
conneconbetweencizenandgovernment,
especiallyonthelocallevel.
ackowedgemet
The creaon of this guide would not have
been possible without the nancial support
of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. We would
also like to thank Professor Tina Nabatchi of
Syracuse University and Ma Leighninger of
the Deliberave Democracy Consorum. Both
provided essenal insights that strengthened
and rened the nal product. The paper would
not have been possible without the inial work
of David Stern, who laid the groundwork for the
guides design, and Steve Brigham, who providedguidance throughout the enre process.
Finally, we would like to thank the government
representaves from Bristol, Queensland, and
the White House who made themselves available
and were gracious with their me and experse.
Copyright2013,AmericaSpeaks
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1
Oeiew o E-PeoTherighttomakeformalrequeststoanauthoritythroughapeonhasbeenastapleofcizengovernmentinteraconsincetheearly1400s,whenthepracceofgovernmentpeoningbecamewidespreadunderKingHenryIVofEngland.1TheEnglishpracceofpeoningmadeitswaytoAmericawiththerstcolonists.IntheUnitedStates,theright
topeongovernmentcanbefoundintheFirstAmendmenttotheU.S.Constuon,whichstatesthatthepeoplehavearighttopeontheGovernmentforaredressofgrievances.Interesngly,peoningduringcolonialmesrequiredgovernmenthearingandresponse,butthisoriginaltheoryandpracceofpeoningfounderedwhenabolionistsoodedCongresswithpeonsduringthedebatesoverslavery.Asaresult,therighttopeonwascollapsedintotherightoffreespeechandexpressionadenionalnarrowingwhichpersiststotheday.2Assuch,today,Americanshavearighttopeon,butnotarighttoagovernmentresponse.
Inthemodernera,manygovernmentshavebegunimplemennge-peonprocessesthroughgovernment
websites.E-peoning,shortforelectronicpeoning,hasbecomemorepopularasaccesstotheInternethasgrownandmorecizenshavebecomeusedtointeracnginonlinespaces.Whileanelectronicpeonismostsimplydenedasanypeonsubmiedelectronically,thispaperusesthetermtorefertosystemsthatdealwithpeonsthatarepostedthroughagovernmentwebsiteandallowforindividualelectronicsignatures.3
Inthe1990s,theriseoftheInternetspurredthegrowthofe-democracytools,whichpromisedtomakedemocracparcipaonmoreconvenient,accessible,andinteracve.Peonswerealogicalplacefore-democracyexperimentaonbecauseoftheirlonghistoryandpublicacceptance.Inthelate
1990s,NapierUniversitysInternaonalTeledemocracyCentre,nowpartoftheCentreforSocialInformacs,begantoworkwiththeScoshParliamenttodeveloptherstgovernment-sponsorede-peonsystem.NapierUniversitysworkwiththeScoshParliamentproducede-pettoner,aplaormthatwasusedtopilote-peonprogramsthroughouttheUnitedKingdom.
E-Petitions as a Participatory ToolE-peonshavethepotenaltoenablegreatercizenparcipaoningovernmentdecision-makingthroughincreasedcizeninteraconwithgovernment.However,thisoutcomeisbynomeansguaranteed.Likemanyotherparcipatory
pracces,anunsuccessfule-peonprocesscanalienatecizenusers,becomehijackedbylargeinterestgroups,andunderminethelegimacyofgovernmentdecision-makingthroughperceponsofmisspentgovernmentmeandresources.4Yet,thesepotenalproblemscanbemanagedbydevelopingane-peonprocessthatcreatesgenuineengagement.
Designingaparcipatoryinteraconbetweencizensandagovernmentrequiresthate-peonimplementersconsiderthetypeofparcipatoryenvironmenttheyaretryingtocreate.Ifpeonerssignane-peon,butneverreceivearesponseoranyotherkindoffollow-oninteracon,howtruly
parcipatoryisthee-peon?Howisthecizenpeoner
moredemocracallyengagedthroughtheactofsigning?
Thisexampleisnotmeanttodegradethepeon-signing
process,buttohighlightthatasuccessfule-peonprocess
shouldcreateadeepersenseofdemocracengagement.
Onewaytocreatethatengagementisthroughsubstanve
andmelypeonresponses.However,peonresponsesarenottheonlykindofengagementthatagovernmentcan
provide.Forexample,ifthee-peonprocessencourages
peonerstoengagewithelectedrepresentavesore-peon
administrators,suchasclerks,cizenpeonersmaydevelop
agreaterunderstandingofthepolicalprocess,whichmay
enablepeonerstobecomemoreeecveparcipatory
actors.5Creangane-peonprocessthatengagescizen
peonersinthiswaycanstrengthenthelegimacyofthe
governingbodyandthepoliciesthatitcreates.
Whilee-peonscanbeausefulmeansforsubstanvecizen
parcipaon,theyaremostsuccessfulwhenusedaspart
ofalargerparcipatoryexercise.Addionalpathwaysfor
cizenengagement,suchastransparentmeengprocessesandonlinesurveys,canimprovetheimpactofe-peon
processesbyprovidingnewwaysforcizenstondoutabout
theworkofgovernmentandengagewithelectedocials.The
governmentineachofthreecasestudiesconsideredinthis
guideimplementedane-peonprocessaspartofalarger
e-democracyorparcipatoryproject.
Purpose of tis GuideThispaperisintendedtoserveasaguideforpublicmanagers
whoareinterestedinexploringe-peonimplementaonin
theircommunies.Theguideisdividedintovesecons:a
generaloverviewofe-peoning,anexploraonofthekey
decisionareasine-peonimplementaon,afederallevelcase
study,astatelevelcasestudy,andalocallevelcasestudy.
Thediscussionofkeydecisionareasforimplementaon
focusesonvetopics:goalseng,connecnge-peoningto
decision-making,managingtheinteraconbetweencizens
andgovernmentinthee-peonprocess,determining
theappropriatetechnologyfore-peonimplementaon,
andevaluange-peonprocesses.Recommendaonson
e-peonimplementaonwithinthesekeydecisionareasare
oered.
Inaneorttoprovideawideswathofe-peonmodels,our
casestudieseachlookatadierentlevelofgovernmentand
engagementcontext.ThefederalcasestudyexaminestheWhiteHousesWethePeoplee-peonplaorm.Whilethe
plaormissllrelavelynew(itbeganin2011),itprovides
anopportunitytoexplorebothexecuve-sidepeoningand
peoningintheU.S.context.Ourstatelevelcaseconsiders
Queensland,Australiase-peonplaorm.Queenslandisan
interesngcaseinthatitemergedasaresultofpolicalturmoil
anddoesnothaveasignaturethreshold,despitethelarge
populaonitserves.Onthelocallevel,weexplorethecityof
Bristol,inEngland,whichwasapioneerinlocalgovernment
e-peoningandusesamodelthatmaybeusefulforlocalies
intheUnitedStates.
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Ke Deciio i E-Peo Impemeto
Leaderswhoimplemente-peonsfaceacoresetofdecisionsthatdeterminethecourseanddireconoftheir
systems.Thedecisionareasdiscussedbelowareintended
togiveprospecvee-peonimplementersasenseofthe
choicestheywillface,aswellasthepotenaloutcomes
associatedwithcertaindecisions.Thisseconisdividedinto
adiscussionofvedisnctquesons:
Wht e o eggemet go o e-peo?
How wi e-peo coect to deciio-mkig?
How wi the cie-goemet iteco e mged?
Wht e the techic me o mt coide?
How wi the otcome o o e-peo tem e meed?
Whilethesequesonsareapplicabletoalle-peon
systemimplementaons,theorderinwhichtheyare
addressedmayvary.Eache-peonsystemisshaped
byitsgovernmentcontextandengagementculture.No
twoe-peonprocesseswillbeidencal,andthese
quesonsshouldbeconsideredasasuggesve,ratherthan
prescripve,guide.
What Are Your Engagement
Go?
Answeringthisquesonwillhelpyoushapethestructure
oftheengagementprocessandwillimpacteverythingfrom
resourceallocaontoprogramadversing.Itishelpfulto
idenfywhatengagementneedsthegovernmententy
faces,andhow,ifatall,ane-peonsystemmayaddress
thoseneeds.Putsimply,whye-peons?
Ourresearchindicatesgovernmentsembracee-peons
topursueavarietyofgoals.However,ineachcase,the
overarchingobjecveistodevelopagreaterrelaonship
withcizens.Othergoalsmayinclude:
CrEaTE a CITIzEn fEEDbaCK lOOP.Manygovernmentsarelookingforawaytodeveloptwo-waymodesofcommunicaon
withcizens.E-peonsallowcizenstosharetheirviews,
whilealsoallowingthegovernmenttorespondand,atleast
potenally,beginamoreparcipatorydialoguearoundpolicy-
making.6
EnablE CITIzEn buyIn.Whencizensareformallyinvolvedin
governmentdecision-making,theyaremorelikelytoacceptits
outcomes.AmericaSpeakstownmeengworkshowsthateven
whenaparcipantdisagreeswiththeoutcomeofaprocess,theparcipantismorelikelytoaccepttheoutcomeiftheyfeelthat
theirvoicehasbeenheardinthedecision-makingprocess. 7
TraCK IssuE InTErEsT GEOGraPHICally.E-peonsallow
thegovernmenttotrackpeonsubmissionandsignageby
geographiclocaon,meaningthatinterestinissuescanbe
mappedgeographicallyandmanagedaccordingly.
ManaGE HIGHly POlarIzED IssuEs.Thee-peonprocess
createsasafespacefordierencestobeairedbycreang
amechanismthroughwhichallsidesofanissuecangather
support.Becauseoftheterms-of-userequirementsthatareput
inplace,governmentscanensurethatpeonsuseaciviltone.
Addionally,e-peonsallowthegovernmententytoexplain
itsreasoningforpolicyposionstothosewhoaremostengaged
onanissue.
sPEaK DIrECTly TO THE PublIC.Usingane-peonprocess
allowsgovernmentstoresponddirectlytothoseconcerned
aboutanissuewithouthavingtousethemediaasan
intermediary.
IDEnTIfy COMMunITIEs Of suPPOrT fOr IssuEs.
E-peonsenablethegoverningbodytoidenfycommunies
ofsupportforissuesandallowforthecreaonofaconnuing
dialoguewithsupportersofthoseissues.
sTrEaMlInE ExIsTInG PETITIOn PrOCEssEs.While
e-peonsdonotreplaceexisngpaperpeonprocesses,
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theyencouragepeonsigningtooccurinamoretransparent,responsive,andstreamlinedprocess.Forexample,Queensland,
Australia,hasuseditse-peonplaormasahubforbothpaper
andelectronicpeons.Doingsohasbroughttransparencyto
thepaperpeonprocessthroughtheonlineposngofpaper
peonresponses.8
InCrEasE PublIC unDErsTanDInG Of GOvErnMEnT
PrOCEss. Thee-peonprocesscanprovidecizensan
opportunitytogetacloserlookathowtheirgovernmentworks
andeducatethemaboutthekindsofissuesthegovernmentworkson.
EsTablIsH CulTurE Of CITIzEn InvOlvEMEnT. Byoering
amechanismforcizenviews,governmentswhosponsor
substanvee-peonprocessessendamessagethattheyare
interestedinhavingcizensshapethegovernmentagenda.
EnGaGE aCrOss PHysICal barrIErs.Forcommunies
thatcoveralargegeographicarea,e-democracytoolssuchas
e-peonscanhelpbridgephysicalbarriersandengagecizens
whomaynotliveclosetogovernment.Arecentstudysuggests
thatU.S.statecapitalsthatareremovedfrommajorpopulaon
centersmaycontributetoperceponsofcorrupon.9Insuch
cases,e-democracymechanismsareusefultoolsforengaging
cizensintheworkofgovernmentdespitegeographicdistance.
Whendevelopingyourgoals,consideriftheycanbe
accomplishedthroughane-peonsystemaloneorif
theywillbebeerreachedthroughalargere-democracy
program.Forexample,iftheprimarygoalistoincreasepublicunderstandingofgovernmentdecision-making,
ane-peonsystemalonemaybeinsucient.The
combinaonofane-peonsystem,webcastsofpublic
meengs,andmoreaccessibledescriponsofthedecision-
makingprocessmightbeermeetthisgoal.Eachofthe
casesconsideredinthisguideimplementede-peon
systemsaspartoflargerparcipatoryplansorprojects.
Establishinggoalswillhelpdeterminethestructureof,andoutreachstrategyfor,thee-peonsystem.Inaddion
to sengengagement-orientedgoals,itisimportantto
recognizetheimpactthatsuchaprojectwillhaveonthe
governingbodyitself.Forexample,whatkindsofresources
canbecommiedtotheproject?Whattypeofrelaonship
doesthegovernmentwanttohavewiththepublic?These
goalswillguideyourdecision-makinggoingforward.
Itmayalsobeusefultopilotane-peonsystemfora
periodofmeasawayofclarifyingandreningwhatengagement goalswillreallymaerforyourjurisdicon.
Manyoftheexisnge-peonplaormsbeganastrial
programs,whichwerethenmodiedtobestsuitthe
communitysneeds.InthecaseofBristol,England,a
trialperiodhelpededucatethecommunityandthe
electedocialsinthee-peonprocessandgavethe
cityanopportunitytomodifytheplaormsfeaturesasit
developed.10Itisalsoimportanttoconsiderotherfactors
thatmayinuenceyourdecisionsinthisarena:Arethere
pre-exisngengagementacvieswithwhiche-peonsshouldbeintegrated?Isthereahistoryofnegave
relaonshipsbetweenthegovernmentandcertaingroups?
Aretherecommunityneeds(e.g.languagetranslaon)that
needtobeaddressedforthee-peonprogramtoreachits
goals?
We recommend the use of a trial period
to test the technical platform itself and
the community response to it, and to help
educate decision-makers about the value of
e-petition systems.
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How Wi E-Petitio Coect
to Deciio-Mkig?
Thestructureofe-peonprocessesmaers.Itisimportant
todeterminehowe-peonswillconnectwithformal
decision-making,becausethenatureofthatconneconwill
determinethevalueofthee-peonsystemtocizensand
thegoverningbody.Howthesystemconnectstodecision-
makingisheavilydependentonthebranchofgovernment
implemennge-peons.
Mgemet d Diemio o
E-Peo
Fore-peonsystemsthatresidewithintheexecuve
branch,itisnecessarytodeterminewhomcizensare
abletopeonandfromwhomtheycanexpecttoreceive
responses.Canpeonsonlybedirectedtowardthemayor,
orcantheyalsobedirectedtowardindividualdepartment
oragencyheads?Whoisresponsibleforrespondingto
thepeon?Ifallpeonsaresubmiedtothechief
execuve,whodirectsthepeontothecorrectresponderordecideswhoisbestsuitedtorespondtoapeon?Who
managesthee-peonprocess?InthecaseoftheWhite
Housee-peonplaorm,WethePeople,ateamofpolicy
advisorsmeetstodeterminewhoisbestsuitedtorespond
toaspecicpeon.Whilethepeonsmaybedirectedat
thePresident,herarelyanswersthemdirectly.11
Similarissuesariseforthelegislavebranch.Are
peonssubmiedtotheenrecouncilortoindividual
councilors?Theanswermaydependonwhetherthe
systemisbeingmanagedbythecouncilclerkorindividual
councilorsoces.Thelegislavebranchhasanaddional
consideraonindeterminingtheformofanocial
peonresponse.Doesthecouncilguaranteepeoners
adiscussionoftheissue?Dopeonersreceiveawrien
statementfromaspeciccouncilororanoceofwhen
aoordebateontheissuewillbeheld?Thesetypesof
quesonsneedtobeaddressedtodeterminewhatcizen
peonerscanexpectfromthee-peonprocess.For
example,inQueensland,theClerkofParliamentoversees
bothpaperandelectronicpeonsubmissionandisalso
responsibleforensuringthatthegovernmentresponseis
issuedandmadeavailabletothepublic.12
Signature Threshold
Inaddiontodeterminingarealiscresponseme,
e-peonadministratorsmaychoosetoestablisha
signaturethresholdforsuccessfulpeons.Variousfactorsshouldbeconsideredwhenselecngathresholdnumber.
Whathumanresourceconstraintswillthee-peonsystem
have?Ifthethresholdforsignaturesisverylowandmany
peonsaresuccessful,manyhoursofstamewillbeneeded
toshepherdthee-peonsthroughthegovernment.
Whatisthesizeofthepopulaonthatthegovernmentserves?If
acityhas400,000residents,thena100,000-signaturethreshold
wouldbetoohighforanypeonstosucceed.
Isthereathresholdforexisngpaperpeonprocesses?You
maywanttoconsiderusingthesamenumberforpaperand
e-peonstoensurethatthosewhouseonemediumarenot
negavelyimpacted.
Thethresholdcanbeexible.Thesignaturethresholdislikely
tochangeasthesystemgrowsanddevelops.Aslongasitis
publiclystatedthatthethresholdnumbermaychange,itis
When using a signature threshold, we
recommend choosing a number that
more accurately represents the politically
engaged portion of the population. While
the exact number will vary depending on the
community, it may be useful to begin with
5-10% of active voters.
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acceptabletomodifythenumberastheneedsofthee-peon
systemchange.InthecaseofWethePeople,theWhiteHouse
e-peonplaorm,thethresholdhaschangeddramacally,
goingfrom5,000to25,000to100,000.Asthee-peonplaormgainedusers,thethresholdwasraisedtoensurethat
onlythemostpopularpeonsweresuccessful.However,the
changestothesignaturethresholdwerecricizedasliming
cizenaccess.
Thesignaturethresholdwillvarydependingonthecommunity
inwhichane-peonsystemisimplemented.Whathas
workedforonecommunitymaynotworkforanother.
Examplesofhowothergovernmentshavenavigatedthese
issuesareexploredinthecasestudiesthatfollow.
Oci repoe
Thoseimplemennge-peons,eitherintheexecuveor
legislavebranch,willhavetodeterminewhatformtheocial
responsewilltake,howtheresponsewillbeissued,andan
appropriatemeframefortheresponse.Sengameframe
foraguaranteedresponseisanimportantcomponentofthe
e-peonprocessandshouldnotbeoverlooked.Centraltothe
premiseofe-peonsisthenoonthatmelygovernment
responsedemonstratesrespectforcizens,andthusimproves
thecredibilityofthee-peonsystem.Ifthee-peonsite
makesastatedguaranteethataresponsewillbeissuedwithin
60days,afailuretodosowillunderminethevalidityofthe
governmentresponseandthetrustworthinessofthesystem
atlarge.Somegovernmentsmaybetemptedtoavoidthis
issuebynotsengaguaranteedresponseme,whichis
alsoproblemac.Ifpeonersarenotguaranteedamely
response,theymayfeelthatthee-peonsystemisnota
seriousaempttocommunicatewithcizensandunderstand
theirconcerns.Forinstance,theWhiteHousedoesnothave
aresponsemeguarantee,andithasreceivedcricismforitsunmelyresponsestoe-peons,whichmaytakemany
months.13
Edcg Deciio-Mke
Itisalsoimportantthatthedecision-makersorelectedocials
onthereceivingendofthee-peonsystemareeducatedaboutthepeonsystemandhowitworks.Ifocialsare
engagedwiththee-peonprocess,theyaremorelikelyto
takepeonsseriouslyandappreciatethevalueofcizen
views.Insomecases,suchasinBristol,electedocialsare
encouragedtousethee-peonsystemthemselvesasa
meanstoorganizeandenergizethepublicaroundtheirpolicy
ideas.Doingsoencouragesgrassrootsorganizingamong
electedocialsandpromotesgreaterengagementbetween
electedocialsandthepublic. 14
As such, we recommend that e-petition
system administrators avoid making frequent
changes to the signature threshold and supply
justification for any changes made to the
signature threshold.
Even if elected officials are not formally
encouraged to use the e-petition system, we
recommend that decision-makers receive
a thorough introduction to the platform
to encourage its use and to help spread
institutional acceptance of the platform.
We recommend that e-petition systems utilize
some form of response time guarantee. The
appropriate time will vary across petition
systems and may be dependent on the size of the
population, the number of petitions received,
and the staff time available for managing the
e-petition system. The time guarantee will
provide a sense of accountability for citizen
petitioners, while also creating a petition
response structure that treats all e-petitions
equally.
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How Wi The Citie-
Government Interaction Be
Mged?Cizensparcipateinane-peonsystembecausethey
areinterestedinexpressingtheirviewsandpotenally
impacnggovernmentdecision-making.Assuch,itis
importantforthegovernmentsponsortosetrealisc
expectaonsamongcizenpeonersandaccurately
representthee-peonprocessandoutcomes.Although
notintendedtobeexhausve,thelistbelowincludesthe
mostcommonwaysgovernmentshavecommunicatedwhat
cizenscanexpectthroughthee-peonsystemstheyuse:
fOrMal DEsCrIPTIOn Of EPETITIOn PrOCEss anD
GOvErnMEnT GuaranTEEs.Mostpeonerswillform
baselineexpectaonsfromthedescriponoftheprocessthat
thesponsoringgovernmentprovidesonthee-peonwebsite.
Thisincludesanyguaranteesaboutmelyresponse,manner
ofresponse,aswellasanyformalsubmissionrequirements
andprocedures.Ifthesefundamentaldescriponsareclear,
realisc,andconsistent,thepeonerwillhaveabeersense
ofwhattheyshouldexpectfromtheire-peonexperience.
However,iftheseguaranteesarenotmet,peonerfaithin
thesystemislikelytobeundermined.
ClEar anD aCCEssIblE TErMs Of usE anD PrIvaCy
POlICIEs. Inaddiontoformalproceduralrules,the
e-peonplaormtermsofuseandprivacypolicyshould
beeasytounderstandandaccessiblefrommulple
pointsonthewebsite.E-peonssomemesrequirethat
signatoriesprovideinformaonaboutthemselves,soit
isimportanttoclearlystatewhohasaccesstopersonal
informaon,whattheinformaonwillbeusedfor,andwhat
willhappentotheinformaoninthefuture.
aDvErTIsInG THE EPETITIOn PlaTfOrM.Many
e-peonplaormsareadversedtogeneratecommunity
interestandinvolvement.Whileadversingcanbeausefulwaytospreadthewordaboutthesystem,itisimportant
tomakesurethattheexpectaonsbeingconveyedare
realisc.Forexample,ataglinelikeShareyouropinion
maybemorerealiscthanChangeyourgovernment.As
theplaormages,therearelikelytobesomesuccessful
peonsthatdoimpactpolicy.Whenadversingthese
successfulpeons,donotimplythatallpeonsarelikely
toinuencedecision-makinginasimilarway.Forexample,
thetaglinefortheWhiteHousesWethePeopleplaormisYourvoiceinourgovernment,whichsuggeststhat
theplaormisamechanismforcizenagency,butnot
necessarilyimpact.15
We recommend that your e-petition system
create an easy-to-understand formal process.
These formal rules should be available on the
site and should be accompanied by some sort of
step-by-step guide or informational content piecethat outlines the process of creating a petition,
signing a petition, and what petitioners can
expect from the e-petition process. Important site
rules or restrictions should also be included. This
information can be presented through multiple
media, including downloadable guides, video
tutorials, or infographics, among others.
We recommend that governments advertise the
site, especially when launched, through formal
means, such as press releases, social media
platforms, and government websites. As the
e-petition system develops, it is likely to startadvertising itself through the social sharing of
petitions. Most petition systems place the burden
of promoting individual petitions on their creators,
thus enabling promotion of the system through
participant word of mouth.
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lEvEraGInG MEDIa COvEraGE Of THE PlaTfOrM. The
mediaislikelytocoverthereleaseoftheplaorm,aswell
asinteresngorcontroversialpeons.Whileyoucannot
controlmediacoverageoftheplaorm,itcanbeleveraged
tohelpspreadnewsaboutthesystemandtohighlight
itscapabilies.Forexample,aparcularlycontroversial
peoninBristolaboutthegraarstBanksydrewalot
ofmediaaenontoBristolse-peonplaorm.Bristol
seizedtheopportunitytoadversethesiteandresponded
byfeaturingthecontroversialpeonandengagingwiththe
mediaabouttheplaorm.16
usEr ExPErIEnCE On sITE.Theinteraconbetween
cizensandgovernmentisalsomoderatedthrough
theuserexperienceonthesiteitself.Makingtheuser
interfacesimpleandnavigable,aswellasprovidingcontact
informaon,canmakethetransiontoe-peoning
simplerformanycizens.WethePeople,theWhiteHouse
e-peonplaorm,usesvideotutorialsandgraphicsto
helpguidepeoplethroughthesite.Inaddion,thesites
searchfunconalityandpeoncategorizaonmakeit
easytonavigatethroughexisngpeonsandtondnew
peons.
What Are The Technical
Mtte yo Mt Coide?
Technologicaldecisionsarecoretoanye-peonsystem.
Whileeachgovernmentstechnicalneedsandrequirements
willdier,thefollowingstepsareintendedtoserveasaguide
onarangeoftechnologicalevaluaonandimplementaon
issues.
DETErMInInG THE aPPrOPrIaTE TECHnOlOGy.When
choosingtherightunderlyingtechnology,youfacethree
generalopons:takingopen-sourcecodefromanexisng
e-peonsite,developingthetechnologyfromscratch,orusingapublice-peonsite.
Ope-soce
Most,ifnotall,exisnggovernment-sponsorede-peon
systemsareopen-source,meaningthattheirunderlying
codecanbecopiedandusedelsewhereforfree.Developing
ane-peonsitefromopen-sourcecodeintroducesa
specicsetofconsideraons.Thecodeisfreetotake,
andtheremayalsobeacommunityofdeveloperswho
workwiththecoderegularlytomakemodicaonsand
improvements.Whencomparingdierentopen-source
plaorms,youmaywanttoseehowacvethecommunity
ofdevelopersisaroundtheplaorm.Ifmanypeopleare
workingonit,itgenerallymeansthattherewillbeagroup
ofpeoplewhocanhelpaddressissuesonthesiteandwho
canserveasresourcesforwebsiteupdates.Youalsowant
tolookforthesitefeaturesthataremostimportanttoyou.
Makesurethatthosefeaturesareavailableintheopen-
sourceversionoftheplaorm,orthatyourdevelopercan
addthemaertheplaormhasbeencreated.
We recommend that e-petition site designers
consider the user experience when designing
e-petition platforms. The ease of finding and
signing petitions is central to the success of
any e-petition platform. It may be useful to
use citizen focus groups or something similar
(perhaps with government staff) to test the
user experience of the site before the site is
launched.
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Deeopig fom sctch
Ifyouhavethetechnicalcapacityorareunabletondan
open-sourceoponthattsyourneeds,youmayconsider
buildingtheplaormfromscratch.Thisrequiresalotofin-
housedevelopmentexperseortheabilitytohireoutside
developers.Wewouldnotrecommendthispathunlessyou
havealotofavailableresourcesorhavespecicneedsthat
arentmetinanexisngplaormorthatcannotbeadded.
Ifyouchoosetobuilditindependently,youcanopen-source
thecodefortheplaormonceitiscomplete.Forexample,
theWhiteHousedevelopedWethePeopleindependently
andthenopen-sourcedthecodetomaketheplaorm
availabletoothers.
Pic E-Peo site
Thereareaplethoraofpublice-peonsitesthatare
unaliatedwithagovernmentbody.Thesesitesdonot
allowback-endgovernmentcontrolofthepeonsite,
butdoserveasplaormsforcizenstocreateandsign
peons.Itmaybepossibleforagovernmenttoselecta
pre-exisngpublicpeonsiteandworkwiththesiteto
encouragecizenstosubmitpeonstothegovernment
throughthepublicsite.Someofthesepublice-peon
sites17onlyprovidebasicpeonfunconality,whileothers
integratesocialnetworkingtools18toallowpeonersto
interactanddooutreacharoundtheirpeons.Thesemore
sociale-peonsiteshelpbuildcommuniesofpolically
engagedcizens.However,usingapublicpeonsitewill
introduceissuesrelatedtodataownership,portability,
andprivacy.Addionally,theremaybecomplicaons
inaccessingemailaddressesandacquiringsignatory
informaon.
Choosing The Right System
Developingasuccessfule-peonplaormwillrequirethat
thesponsoringgovernmentselectanappropriatesystem,
whichleadstoaqueson:Whatshouldyoulookforin
comparingdierentsystems?
EasE Of InsTallaTIOn anD MaInTEnanCE.Whilethis
willbedependentonthecapacityofwhatevertechnology
andtechnicalstaarebeingusedforimplementaon,itis
animportantconsideraonfromacostandmanagement
perspecve.
PETITIOnEr InTErfaCE.Discussionofthepeoner
interfaceshouldcenterontheeaseofuseandthe
availabilityoftoolsusefultocizenpeoners.Simplyput,
howeasyisittostart,sign,orndapeon?Thefollowing
sitefeaturesshouldbeconsidered.
ranKED lIsTs:Onasitewheretheremaybealargevolume
ofcontent,suchasacvee-peonsorresponses,itishelpful
toprovideseveralwaysforpeonstobelistedandsearched.
Somecommonlyusedrankedlistsinclude:popularity,most
recent,orarandomselecon.Therankedlistsavailabletosite
visitorsareimportantbecausethepeonspresentedtothe
mostusersarelikelytoreceivethemostsignatures.Toavoid
appearingasifthesitefavorscertainpeons,makesure
thatthereisanexplanaonforthelisngofpeons,suchas
chronologicalorder,andthatallacvepeonscanbeeasily
accessed.
sEarCH funCTIOnalITy: Ifthesiteincludesasearchfeature,
howdoesitwork?Doesitsearchthefulltextofpeons,
asetofkeywords(chosenbyeitherthepeonerorsite
administrator),ortags?
DuPlICaTE PETITIOns:Similarly,ifsomeonecreatesanew
peonandasimilarpeonisalreadyacve,isthepeoner
noedandoeredtheopportunitytosigntheexisngpeon
insteadofcreanganewone?
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Manyoftheseconsideraonswillvarydependingonthe
numberofacvepeonsonthesite,howmanyvisitors
thesitereceives,andthewaythesiteisbeingused,all
ofwhichmaychangeoverme.Forexample,ifpeoncreatorsaredrivingsignatoriesdirectlytospecicpeons,
theissuesaroundpeonlistsmaybeminimized.However,
manyuserswillbebroughttothesitebyaspecicpeon
andmaylookatotherpeonswhileonthesite,making
thelisngfunconalityveryimportant.
baCKEnD InTErfaCE. Theback-endinterfaceusedby
systemmanagersrunsparalleltothepeonerinterface.
Howeasyisittouseandunderstand?Howwillittinwith
internalworkow?Forexample,willpeonshavetobe
copiedandpastedintoanothersystemtobedistributed
totherespondingocialsor,doesthee-peonsystem
allowpeonstobeforwardedandtracked?Similarly,can
responsesbesenttopeonersthroughthee-peon
plaorm,integratedintoanexisngemailclient,ordothe
emailaddressesneedtobeexportedandthensentusing
aseparateemailprogram?Howeasyisitforplaorm
administratorstoarchiveandpostpeonresponses?
TaGs anD CaTEGOrIzaTIOn. Howdopeonsget
categorizedtominimizethenumberofsimilarpeonsthat
enterthesystem?InthecaseofWethePeople,peon
creatorschoosetagsandcategoriesfortheirpeon.These
tagsarethensearchable,makingpeonseasiertosortand
nd.Addionally,eachpeonmustfallintoaspecicissue
category,whichenablessearchingpeonsbyissuearea.19
InTEraCTIvE fEaTurEs. Inaddiontothebasicfeatures
ofane-peonsite,interacvefeaturescanbeadded
to create greatercizeninteraconandengagement:for
example,enablingusercommentsonpeons,theopontouploadaddionalinformaon(documents,photos,links)
topeons,anduserprolestoallowsignatoriestointeract
withoneanotherandformgroups.Whilethesefeatures
enablegreaterengagementandconnecvityamongusers,
theycancreatemoreback-endmanagementconcernsfor
systemadministrators.Addionally,somegovernments
maynotfeelcomfortableusingtheirocialwebsitesas
plaormsforissueoradvocacygroupstoformandconnect.
usEr vErIfICaTIOn.Whilemanye-peonplaormsaempttoverifywhositeusersarethroughemail,we
havenotseenasystemthatisabletogenuinelyverifythat
usersaretellingthetruthabouttheiridenes.Theuse
ofemailvericaonmayhelptocombate-peonfraud
throughmassautomacsignatures,butitdoesnotaddress
theuseofmulpleemailaccountsbythesameuseror
helpdeterminetheidentyoftheuser.Giventhatthe
technologyisnotabletopreventallfraud,itmaybeuseful
todevelopapenaltyforfraudulentuseofthesystemand
outlineitsconsequencesonthewebsite.InQueensland,e-peonfraudcanresultinane,andifthenegoes
unpaid,itcanleadtojailme.20
sTaffInG anD rEsOurCEs. Priortoresearchingallof
thepossibletechnicalpossibilies,itisimportanttodoa
cursoryexaminaonofyourcommitmentandcapacityfor
e-peonimplementaon.
WHO WIll bE rEsPOnsIblE fOr IMPlEMEnTInG THE
sysTEM?IfthereisaninternalITteam,theymayhavethe
abilitytoinstallandcongurethee-peonsystem.Ifyouhave
awebsite,whoevermaintainsyourwebsitemaybeabletodo
this.However,youalsomayneedtoidenfyanewexternal
consultantorvendorfortheimplementaon.
WHO WIll bE rEsPOnsIblE fOr TECHnICal
ManaGEMEnT Of THE sysTEM? Similarly,youwillneedto
determinewhowillberesponsibleformaintainingthesystem
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onceitisupandrunning.Thiswillincludetroubleshoong
problemsthatmayariseandensuringsmoothoperaonofthe
system.
WHaT Is yOur buDGET fOr TECHnICal IMPlEMEnTaTIOn
anD MaInTEnanCE?Knowingyourbudgetaheadofmewill
helpfocusyoureortsonndingtherightsystem.
WHaT Is yOur sTaff Or buDGET fOr subsTanTIvE
TraInInG anD OnGOInG ManaGEMEnT Of THE sysTEM?
Beingrealiscabouttheamountofstaandbudgetthatyou
haveavailablefortheprojectwillhelpfacilitateitssuccess.If
yourgovernmentalreadyreceivespaperpeons,itisidealthat
thesameteamprocessese-peonsand,ifpossible,thatboth
typesofpeonsmovethroughthesameinternalprocess.
buIlDInG a TEaM.E-peonsystemscanbemanagedby
onepersonormany,andincaseswhereseveralpeoplewill
be involvedindesigningandimplemenngthesystem,itis
importanttobuildateamthatwillmakeappropriatesoware
choices.
WHO Is On THE TEaM?
TECh TEAM.IfthereisanexisngITteamthatwillbe
doingtheinstallaonandmaintenanceofthee-peon
systemorawebconsultantthatisalreadyworkingwiththe
governmentbody,theyneedtobeincludedonthisteam.
Theirfamiliaritywithdierenttechnologieswillhelptoguide
thedecisionofwhatsowareismostappropriateforyour
specicsituaon.
ManaGEMEnT sTaff.Whowillberesponsiblefor
managingthesystemandrespondingtopeonsonceitis
upandrunning?Involvingplaormadministratorsearlyin
theplanningprocesswillallowthemtoprovidefeedback
ontheinterfaceandairanyconcernstheymayhave.This
willnotonlyeasethetraining,butalsogivethemasenseof
ownershipinthesystem,thusimprovingthelikelihoodofits
success.
DaTa COnCErns WITH ExTErnal vEnDOrs anD
HOsTInG.Forgovernmentsthatuseoutsidevendorsto
runtheire-peonsystem,itisimportanttobereadyto
addressdataownershipandprivacyissuesthatmayarise.
rETaIn OWnErsHIP.Thetermsofserviceonsomesites
claimownershipofthedatathatisenteredintothem.Assuch,
governmentsponsorsofe-peonsitesshouldensurethat
anexternalvendororconsultantdoesnotownthedatabeing
collected.Toavoidtheissue,includegovernmentownership
ofsitecontentaspartofanyvendorcontract.Ifyouareusing
anexternale-peonssite,youmayneedtohaveyourlegal
departmentverifythatitstermsofservicedonotprecludeyou,
asagovernmententy,fromusingtheirservice.
rETaIn aCCEss.Whenanexternalvendorisused,makesurea
planisinplaceshouldthegovernmentdecidetoswitchvendors
orifthecontractorgoesoutofbusiness.Addionally,makesure
thatyouareabletoretrievecollecteddata.Itmaybeusefulto
setuparegularbackupservicetoensureconnuedaccessto
sitedata.
POrTabIlITy.Ifvendorsorplaormsneedtobechanged,how
easyisittomovethedatafromtheprevioussystemtoanew
one?Addressingthisissuewillbeeasierifmulplevendors
canhostthee-peonsystemorifdatacanbebackedupand
accessedexternallyfromaproprietaryvendor.
How Wi The Otcome o The
E-Peo stem be Eted?
Inthinkingaboutthedevelopmentofane-peon
system,itishelpfultoconsiderthemetricsthatwillbe
usedtoevaluatetheprogram.Thegoalslaidoutinthebeginningoftheplanningprocesscanbeusedasaguidefor
designingtheevaluaonprocess.Whatmetricsareuseful
inmeasuringyourspecice-peongoals?21Whilesome
metricswillbespecictothegovernmentcontext,other
metricscanbeusedinmanye-peonsystemevaluaons.
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We recommend that you utilize some kind
of analytics tool, such as Google Analytics,
to monitor the e-petition site usage and use
regular site surveys to gather feedback fromusers. Additionally, metrics and evaluations
should be made public and accessible as a
means of showing the public how well you
are meeting your engagement goals. It is also
useful to develop an evaluation plan, including a
schedule, to ensure recurring measurement and
evaluation.
USAGE DATA.Howmanypeonsweresubmied?How
manypeonscrossedthesignaturethreshold?Howmany
signatureshavebeenlogged?Howmanyuniquevisitors?
Theseareafewexamplesoftheusage-relatedquesons,
whichareusefultodeterminethedepthandbreadthof
engagementwiththee-peonsystem.Itishelpfultoknow
notonlyhowmanypeopleareusingthesystem,butalso
howpeopleareusingitandhowoentheyreturn.This
datashouldbeavailablethroughanalycsmonitoringofthe
e-peonsite.
IMPACT METRIC.Animpactmetricismuchmoresubjecve
thanusagedatabutcanprovidevaluablefeedbackonhowcizensfeelaboutthee-peonsystem.Whichparts
ofthesystemareworking?Whicharent?Forexample,
sendinganautomacsurveyaerindividualshavesigned
apeonorreceivedaresponseprovidesthegovernment
withanopportunitytoaskpeonersquesonsabouthow
theyfeltabouttheexperienceoriftheywoulddoitagain.
Addionally,surveyscanalsobegiventodecision-makers
toestablishwhetherthee-peonsystemhasimpacted
theirpolicy-makingprocessortheirunderstandingofcizenconcerns.TheWhiteHouse,Bristol,andQueenslandhaveall
usedsurveysatsomepointtohelpevaluatetheirrespecve
e-peonprograms.
sysTEM rElIabIlITy anD rEsPOnsE TIME.Howwell
dothetechnicalcomponentsofthee-peonplaorm
work?Howoendoesthesitegodown?Aretherecertain
pageswherepeonerslogalotofcomplaintsorleavethe
site?Examiningthesetechnicalcomponentsofthee-peon
processcanimprovetheuserexperienceandincreasethe
reliabilityofthesystem.Itisalsousefultomaintainarecordof
howlongittakestorespondtopeonsandhowoenyou
failtomeetanystatedmelinessguarantees.Keepingtrack
ofthisdatahelpstokeepthegovernmentaccountableforthe
melinessguaranteesthatitmakestocizenpeoners.
ManaGEMEnT anD IMPlEMEnTaTIOn.Howhasthe
systembeenmanaged?Aresystemadministratorsuent
andecientinsystemmanagement?Dotheyhavetheright
skillstoperformtheirdues?Whatarethecosts(interms
ofmoneyandme)torunthee-peonprogram?Asking
thesetypesofquesonswillhelpevaluatehowthesystem
isbeingmanagedinternallyandtheimpactofe-peonson
internalresources.
Hopefully,thisdiscussionhasbeerpreparedyoutoanswersomeofthequesonsyouwillfaceinyoure-peonsystem
implementaon.Thefollowingcasestudiesareintendedto
showyouhowothergovernmentshavenavigatedthrough
theirowne-peonimplementaonsandprovideinsight
intopotenalobstaclesandopportunies.
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CASE STUDY:
We the People United States
Background
TheObamaAdministraonlaunchedtheWethePeoplee-peonwebsitetoenableAmericanstosharetheirviewswith
theexecuvebranch.Asatoolfortheenrecountry,WethePeopleservesover300millionpeople.22
E-Peo i the uited stte
TherighttopeongovernmentisenshrinedintheFirstAmendmentoftheU.S.Constuon,whichstatesthatpeople
havearighttopeonGovernmentforaredressofgrievances.Whiletherighttopeonwasonceusedforthepersonal
redressofgrievances,itisnowprimarilyusedbygroupsofcizenswhowanttoexpresstheirviewsordemandaspecic
acononaparcularissue.Ithasbeenformallyestablishedthatthoughthereisarighttopeon,thereisnodenedright
ofreceivingagovernmentresponse.23
WhenPresidentObamatookocein2009,heissuedaMemorandumonTransparencyandOpenGovernment,callingon
theExecuveBranchanditsagenciestobemoretransparent,parcipatory,andcollaborave.InSeptember2011,President
ObamaintroducedtheU.S.OpenGovernmentPartnershipNaonalAconPlan,24outliningtheaconstepstofostergreater
transparency,parcipaon,andcollaboraoningovernmentdecision-making.25Thecreaonofane-peonplaormwas
oneof26speciccommitmentsinthisplan.26
SoonaerthereleaseoftheNaonalAconPlan,theObamaAdministraonlaunchedtheWethePeoplee-peon
website.ThesitenotonlyallowedpeopletopeontheWhiteHouse,butalsoguaranteedthatifaspeciednumberof
peoplesignedapeonwithin30days,theWhiteHousewouldissuearesponse.Usageofthesitehasgrownsteadily,and
thenumberofsiteusersdoubledfollowingthe2012elecon,bringingthetotalnumberofsiteuserstoover7million.27 As
ofMarch2013,theWethePeoplesitehadreceivedmorethan178,000peons28andhadissuedover150responses.29The
signaturethresholdtotriggeraWhiteHouseresponsehaschangedoverme.Whentheplaormlaunched,thethreshold
was5,000,butinJanuary2013itwaschangedto100,000.30
TheWethePeoplee-peonsitewasinuencedbypre-exisnge-peonplaorms,includingtheUnitedKingdomsHouse
ofCommonse-peonsite(hp://epeons.direct.gov.uk/).31TheWhiteHousesiteistherste-peonsitecreatedby
theU.S.governmentandistheonlyexampleofe-peoningintheUnitedStatesthatwehavefound.Thoughthesite
wasinuencedbyinternaonale-peonplaorms,ateamofWhiteHousedevelopersbuiltit.32Inthesummerof2012,
theWhiteHouseopen-sourcedthecodeforWethePeople,makingtheplaormavailableforusebyothergovernments,
organizaons,andindividuals.33
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Key Decision Areas for We The People - United States
Determining Engagement Goals
Asapresidenalcandidatein2008,BarackObamavowedtoimplementnewaccountabilitytransparencymeasures.34To
keephiscampaignpromise,heannouncedhisMemorandumonTransparencyandOpenGovernmentonhisrstdayin
oce.Thememohighlightedincreasedpublicparcipaonasapathtogovernmentopenness,andisdescribedonthe
WhiteHousewebsiteasempoweringthepublicthroughgreateropennessandnewtechnologiestoinuencethe
decisionsthataecttheirlives.35Whilee-peonswerenottheonlyiniavelaunchedbytheObamaAdministraonto
meetthisgoal,theyembodythespiritofopennessthroughtechnologicalinnovaon.
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Duetothelonghistoryofpeonsandthepublicsfamiliaritywiththemechanism,government-sponsorede-peoning
isanaccessibleparcipaontoolthatcanprovideanopportunityforthegovernmenttoengageinadialoguewithcizens
aboutissuesthatareimportanttothem.AccordingtotheWethePeoplewebsite,theplaormhelpstheWhiteHouse
understandtheviewsoftheAmericanpeopleandhaveafocusedandcivilconversaonwiththem.36TheWethePeople
plaormprovidedanavenuefortheObamaAdministraontomeetitspubliccommitmentstoparcipaon.E-peons,as
partoftheObamaAdministraonslargergovernmentopennessiniave,wereposionedasameansforthepublicsvoice
tobeheard,incontrasttotheperceivedWashingtoncultureofsecrecyandspecialinterests.Thetaglineforthee-peon
plaormisyourvoiceingovernment,suggesngthatindividualslackedapropervoicepriortotheintroduconofthe
plaorm.37
Coecg E-Peo to Deciio-Mkig
TheWethePeopleplaormishousedwithintheexecuvebranch;peonssentthroughtheplaormcanonlybedirected
attheWhiteHouseorexecuvebranchagencies.Toparcipateonthesiteandcreateorsignpeons,individualsmust
be13orolderandcreateaWhiteHouse.govaccount,whichasksforanemailaddress,name,andZIPcode.Avericaon
linkissenttotheemailaddressandtheusermustclicktoverifytheaddress.Whencreangapeon,usersmustprovide
atleandselectanissuecategory.Theplaormthensearchesforpeonsthatalreadymeetthosecriteriaandasksifthe
userwouldprefertosignanexisngpeoninlieuofcreanganewpeon.Ifauserconnuestocreateanewpeon,
heorshecanprovideadescripon(upto
800characters)andaddkeywordsandtags.
Oncesubmied,thepeoncannotbe
editedandthepeoncreatorisprovided
withalinktotheacvepeononthe
WethePeoplesite.However,atthispoint,
thepeonisnotsearchableonWethe
People.Thepeoncreatormustsharethe
linkthroughhisorherownnetworks,and
oncethepeonreaches150signatures,
itbecomessearchableontheWhiteHouse
e-peonsite.38Thisthresholdinially
placestheburdenofpublicizingapeon
onthepeoncreator.
Peonscanbeviewedbyissuecategory,date,orpopularity,andcanbesearchedusingkeyterms.Potenalsignatories
canviewapeon,seetheinialsandgenerallocaonofothersigners,andviewhowmanymoresignaturesareneeded
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beforethepeoncrossesthethresholdforaWhiteHouseresponse.Onceusershavesignedapeon,theyareprompted
tosharethepeonviasocialmedia.Accordingtotheplaormsrules,ane-peonhas30daystoreach100,000
signatures.Ifthee-peondoesnotreachthesignaturethresholdwithin30days,itisremovedfromthesite.Ifthepeon
crossesthethreshold,itisthenbroughttoaninternalmeengattheWhiteHouse,wheremembersoftheOceofDigital
Strategy,whichoverseesWethePeople,havegatheredrelevantpolicyocials.Theoutcomeofthismeengdetermines
whointheexecuvebranchisbestsuitedtorespondtothepeon.39
Whilepeonsthatcrossthesignaturethresholdareguaranteedaresponse,thereisnostatedmelineforthatresponse.
Thelackofmelyresponsehasbeencricized,andseveralpeonsthathadcrossedthethresholdweresllawaing
responsesmanymonthslaterasofJanuary2013.40Policyocialswhoseworkisrelatedtothecontentofthepeon
usuallywritetheresponses,whicharethenpostedonthee-peonsiteandemailedtoallofthepeonssignatories.A
singleresponsecanbeissuedformulplepeonsonrelatedsubjects.
Whilethetoneofeachresponsevariesaccordingtothewriterandthetopic,peonresponsesappeartobeprimarilyof
fourtypes:
Anexplanaonofwhattheadministraonsposionisonthetopicinqueson.
Arequestforfurtherengagement41betweenpolicyocialsandthepeoncreatororsignatoriesontheissue.
Astatementonhowpolicyhaschangedasaresultofthepeon.
AdescriponofwhytheWhiteHousecannotaddressthepeon.TherearevarioussubjectsthattheWhiteHousewillnotaddress,such
aslawenforcement,procurement,oradjudicatorymaers.42
WhilemostpeonsdonotcrosstheWethePeoplethreshold,somesuccessfulpeonshavecreatedasubstanvepolicy
impact.Forexample,peonsagainstonlinepiracylegislaon,suchastheStopOnlinePiracyAct(SOPA)of2012,werepart
ofalargeronlineprotestthatwassuccessfulinbuildingenoughopposiontostoptheproposedlegislaon.Otherpeons
createdimpactwithoutthebackingofalargermovement.Inthebeginningof2013,apeonsurfacedrequesngthatcell
phoneunlocking(whichallowscellphonestobeusedondierentcarriers)belegalized.TheWhiteHouseresponsetothe
peonwasverysupporve,stangTheWhiteHouseagreeswiththe114,000+ofyouwhobelievethatconsumersshould
beabletounlocktheircellphoneswithoutriskingcriminalorotherpenales.43Theresponsewasverywellreceivedbythe
peoncreator,whosaid,AlotofpeoplereactedskepcallywhenIoriginallystartedthepeon,withlotsofcomments
totheeectofpeonsdontdoanything.Theopmistinmeisreallygladtohaveprovedthemwrong.TheWhite
Housejustshowedthattheyreallydolisten,andthattheyrewillingtotakeacon.44Thisresponseshowshowaposive
interaconcangivepeonersamoreposiveviewofgovernment.
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Mgig the Cie-Goemet Iteco
Creanganonlineportalforcizen-governmentinteraconinacountryaslargeanddiverseastheUnitedStatesrequires
afairamountofmanagement.TheteambehindWethePeople,theWhiteHousesOceofDigitalStrategy,managesthe
interaconwiththepubliconmanylevelsandthroughvaryingmeans.Firstandforemost,theinteraconismediatedby
theformalrulessetinplacebythee-peonplaorm.45Theserulesarefullyoutlinedinthesitetermsofparcipaonand
mademoreaccessibletothegeneralpublicthroughvideotutorialsandexplanaonsthroughoutthesite.Theuseofvideos
andgraphicalrepresentaonofthee-peonprocesshelpsnewandlessexperiencedusersunderstandtheprocess,while
alsomanagingtheirexpectaons.
Whiletheintroductoryvideoslayoutthegenerale-peonprocess,othersitevideoshighlightthepotenalimpactof
e-peonsonthepolicymakingprocess.Forexample,onevideoexplainingthee-peonprocessstates,thereareissues
thatareonlivepeonsrightnowonWethePeoplethatseniormembersoftheWhiteHousearehavingmeengsabout
becausetheissuecametousthroughWethePeople.46Thissuggeststhatpeonerscanhaveatangibleimpactonpolicy.
Peonerexpectaonsarenotonlymanagedthroughthearculaonofformalrules,butalsothroughthedesignofthe
plaormitself.Forexample,apeoncreatormustselectanissueareaforthepeonasitisbeingcreated.Suchastep
makesiteasierforthesitetosortandsearchpeons,butitalsoforcespeoncreatorstoconformtotheconstraints
ofthesite.Similarly,peondescriponscannotexceed800characters.47Themandatoryaccountcreaonalsoservesto
controltheinteraconbetweenusersandthesite.Whiletheinformaonisonlyveriedusinganemaillink,thesiteasks
foridenfyinginformaon,suchasanameandzipcode,whichistreatedaspublicinformaon.Thetermsofparcipaon
alsostatethattheWhiteHousecansendusersemailsrelatedtoWethePeoplegenerally,notonlytothepeonsthat
theysign.Addionally,theWhiteHousekeepsuserinformaononle,stangthatinformaonwilllikelyberetainedby
theWhiteHouseunltheendofthecurrentAdministraon,atwhichmeitwillbetransferredtotheNaonalArchives
andRecordsAdministraon. 48Thesestructuralcomponentscontrolthewayusersareabletointeractwiththesite,
fundamentallyframingthenatureoftheinteracon.
Inaddiontotheseformalmechanisms,theWhiteHousesetsthetoneoftheplaormbyadversingtheplaormelsewhereon
theWhiteHousewebsite.Forexample,theWhiteHouseblogservesasthesourceforinformaonaboutthee-peonplaorm
andprocess,includingsitechangesandupdates.ThetonesetbytheWethePeopleblogpostsconnuallysuggeststhatthesite
isevolvingandissllinitsearlystages,givingreadersasensethattheirexperiencewiththeplaormwillchangeoverme 49and
creangaspacefortheWhiteHousetoadversethesuccessesofthesite. 50Inaddion,theWethePeopleblogpostsencourage
readerstosharefeedbackaboutthesiteonTwierorthroughcontactforms.
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Formanypeoners,thecizen-governmentinteraconisjudgedthroughthepeonresponse(orlackthereof),which
placesimportanceonthecontent,tone,andmelinessofpeonresponses.Thesevaryacrosspeons,butitisworth
nongthattheWhiteHousese-peonprocesshasreceivedcricismonallthreefronts.Somepeonresponseshave
beencricizedforbeingdismissiveorsimplystanganadministraonposionwithoutanysubstanveexplanaon,
whileotherresponseshavenotbeenissuedinamelymanner(oratall).51However,theWhiteHousehaspubliclystated
thatittakesthepeonprocessseriously,evenrespondingtoapeonaboutthequalityofpeonresponseswiththe
tleWerelistening.Seriously. 52Despitethisclaim,thedecision-makingprocessbehindpeonresponsesisnotvisibly
transparent,eitherintheexplanaonofthepeonprocessorinthereasoningputforthinmanypeonresponses.
Thequalityandcontentofpeonresponsescancarryaddionalimpactbycreangavenuesforfurtherengagement.
Forexample,aresponsetoapeoncallingforthecreaonofaDeathStar(aconalspacestaonfromStarWars)
includedmanylinkstospace-relatedprojectsalreadyunderdevelopment,essenallyredirecngthosewhoexpressed
interestinspaceexploraontotheappropriateresources(e.g.,
NASAnewsleersandwebsites).53Onelinkincludedinthepeon
responseleadto10,000signupsforaSpottheStaontoolona
NASAsiteandTheimpactonNASAsCommercialCrewandCargo
ProgramOce(C3PO)pagewashuge.Tractothesiteincreased
about200xbetweenJan.10-12.Thetracoverthatweekend
representsmorethanhalfthetractothatpagefortheenre
month.54
Whilenotseenineverypeonresponse,thispracce
encouragespeonerstoremainengagedwithgovernmentand
itsresources,eveniftheWhiteHousedoesnotchoosetotakethe
aconrequestedinthepeon.
Eachpeonresponsecreatesauniquerelaonshipwithits
signatories,givingtheWhiteHouseanopportunityeachme
tomakepeonersfeelunderstoodandheard.However,this
outcomecaneasilybecomecompromisedbythequalityofthe
peonresponse,aswellasunrealiscpublicexpectaonsforwhat
peonscanaccomplish.Asthesitedevelops,therelaonship
betweenpeonersandtheWhiteHousewillalsoconnueto
evolve.
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Techic Coideo
AninternalteamofdevelopersattheWhiteHousecreatedtheWethePeopleplaorm.Whiletheplaormusesfeatures
similartoothere-peonplaorms,itwasnotbuiltfromexisngopen-sourcee-peonplaormcode.Theplaorm
wasbuiltusingDrupal,anopen-sourcecontentmanagementsystem.TheWhiteHousemadetheplaormcodeavailable
throughanopen-sourcelicenseinAugust2012,whichcanbefoundatgithub.com/WhiteHouse/peons.Likeother
e-peonplaorms,WethePeopleoersbasicpeonfunconalityincludingsigning,creang,andbrowsingpeons.
Thesitealsofeaturesaddionalfunconality,suchasafeaturedresponsepage,issuecategoriesandtags,sitemoderaon,
accountsign-ups,andvideo/mulmediacapabilies.
Theaddedfunconalityallowsthesiteadministratorstomoreeasilyorganizeinformaon,bothforsiteusersandforback-
endpurposes.Forexample,usingpredenedcategoriesmakesiteasiertosearchforpeonsrelevanttocizeninterests
andallowstheWhiteHousetounderstandwhichissuesaregeneranginterestinspecicgeographicareas.Theaccount
structureallowsinformaontobetrackedoveralongperiodofme,acrossinterestareaandgeography.Theusagedata
ispubliclyavailable(peonersareidenedbytheirinialsandZIPcodes)andcanbeusedbythegovernmentandthe
publictounderstandareasofoverlappinginterest.Forinstance,inthewakeofthemassshoonginNewtown,Conneccut
inDecember2012,peonersonbothsidesoftheguncontrolissuesignedthesamepeonsaboutmentalhealth,
suggesngpeoplemaywhodisagreeaboutguncontrol,maysllagreeaboutmentalhealthpolicy.55
TheavailabilityofdatageneratedthroughtheWethePeoplesitespeakstotheWhiteHousesengagementwiththetech
communityaroundthee-peonplaorm.Inaddiontomakingtheplaormopen-source,theWhiteHousehasalso
hostedahackathon,wheredeveloperswereinvitedtotheWhiteHousetocreatetoolsusingthedatageneratedbythe
site.AtthersthackathoninFebruary2013,developerscreatedadiversesetoftools,includingWherethePeople,ame-
lapsedmapofpeonsignatoriesexpressedasapercentageofthepopulaon.56Thetoolsdevelopedatthehackathon
werebasedonthedevelopmentofaWethePeopleapplicaonprogramminginterface(API),whichwasannouncedin
February2013.AnAPIallowsthee-peonplaormfeaturestobeaccessedonthird-partysites.Forexample,ifyoucould
signaWethePeoplepeononanadvocacyorganizaonswebsite,youwouldbeinteracngwiththeWethePeopleAPI.
TheWhiteHouseexplainedthepurposeoftheAPIbysaying,Atitsmostbasic,WethePeopleisaconversaon.Individuals
askquesonsoftheWhiteHouse,andtheObamaadministraonresponds.WhatthisAPIallowsustodoisbroadenthe
discussionmakeitasexible,open,andtransparentaspossible.57WhiletheWriteAPI(whichwouldallowinteraconon
third-partysites)isnotyetreleased,itdemonstratestheWhiteHousesdesiretomaketheplaormmoreaccessibleand
availableonline.58
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Eo
Similarlytoothere-peonplaorms,WethePeopleemploysvarioussiteusagemetrics,gatheredthroughGoogle
Analycs,tohelpwithevaluaon.59AsofMarch13,2013,thesitehadreceivedover11.6millionsignatures,had7.2million
totalusers,andhadcollectedover178,000peons.60However,thosenumbersdontpaintthewholepicture.Accordingto
ChrisWilsonofYahoo!News,about10%ofparcipantsmakeup40%ofthesignaturesonthesite,meaningthatagroupof
supersignersorrepeatusersaccountsformuchoftheacvityonthesite.
Inaddiontogatheringusageinformaon,whichtheWhiteHouseregularlyincludesinblogpostsrelatedtothesite,the
WhiteHousealsousessurveysofsiteuserstodeterminethequalityoftheirexperienceonthesite.AccordingtotheWhite
House,86%ofsurveyrespondentswouldcreateorsignanotherpeononthesite;66%saidthattheAdministraons
responsewashelpfultohear;and50%saidthattheylearnedsomethingnewasaresultofthepeonresponse.Thisdata
suggeststhatthesiteisatleastsomewhatsuccessfulatengagingthepublic.
TheWhiteHouseemploystheWethePeopleusagedataasproofofitscommitmenttoopennessandcivicengagement,
andofitsfulllmentoftheirgoalsforthesite.Forexample,thee-peonplaormisoencitedasasuccessoftheObama
Administraonscommitmenttoopengovernment.OneblogpostreecngontheOpenGovernmentcommitment
stated,withthelaunchoftheWhiteHousesWethePeoplepeonplaorm,cizensnowhaveamorepowerfulvoice
ingovernment.Technically,thesitehasundergonesignicantchangessinceitslaunch,includingbecomingopen-source
anddevelopinganAPI.Thesedevelopmentsareseenassuccessfulstepstowardfulllingtheopennessandengagement
goalssetoutbyPresidentObama.Whilethesechangeswillworktoincreasethenumberofpeoplewhohaveaccesstothe
siteandprovideincreasedaccesstositedata,theydonotaddressconcernsrelatedtothemelinessorqualityofpeon
responses.
COnClusIOn
With o the medi coege o We the Peope, it c e e to oget tht the ptom i
og d etie teted. Whie the ite eem to he heped the Om admiittio
meet ome o it ope goemet go, it i ot et itittioied withi the eectie
ch. The eectio o the et peideti dmiittio d it deciio ote-petitioig wi tet the ogeit o the ptom o oth the goemet d the pic. I
the et peideti dmiittio cotie tiiig e-petitioig, eithe thogh We the
Peope o othe too, it wi hep oidi the pctice, mkig e-petitio e o poitic
too d moe o itmet o citie oice. Moeoe, ameic ecome cctomed
to goemet-pooed e-petitio, thee m e gowig deie o iceed citie
cce d goemet epoe. Whie the impct o We the Peope emi to e ee,
it ecet gowth gget tht thee i poitic d pic deie o impe, cceie
too o goemet opee d citie cce withi the uited stte.
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Background
QueenslandisastatesituatedinthenortheasternpartofAustraliathatcovers22.5%oftheAustralianconnent,making
itabout2.5mesthesizeofTexas.OverhalfofQueenslands4.5millionpeoplelivesoutsideofurbanizedareasmaking
physicalaccesstostategovernmentdicult.
Government Structure
ThegovernmentofQueenslandismodeledaertheBrishParliament,meaningthatithasthreebranches:parliament
(legislave),cabinetandexecuvecouncil(execuve),andcourts(judicial).Queenslandismadeupof89electoraldistricts
eachwithanelectedrepresentavetothestateparliament,whichisunicameral.Thepolicalparty,orgroupofpares
workingtogether,thatwinsthemajorityofseatsinparliament(45seats)formsagovernment,andthegroupofparesthat
winsthesecondhighestnumberofvotesformstheopposion.ItisimportanttonotethatAustraliahascompulsoryvong
infederal,state,andlocalelecons,meaningthatallcizens18yearsandolderareregisteredtovoteandaresupposedto
voteinallelecons.
E-Peo i Qeed
Intheearly2000s,variousmembersofQueenslandsParliamentfacedallegaonsofelectoralfraud.Theseallegaons
wereofgreatconcernandsparkedanindependentinvesgaon,calledtheShepardsonInquiry,whichrecommended
prosecuonofsomeelectedocials.WhiletheShepardsonInquirydidnotdirectlycallforelectoralreform,ithighlighted
exisngissueswithinQueenslandssystem.Asaresponse,theRestoringIntegrityGoodGovernmentPlan(thePlan)was
implementedin2001.ThisplanwasiniallypartofaLaborpartycampaignplaormthatcalledforiniavesdesignedto
cutoutbadpraccesandrestoreintegritytothedemocracprocessesoftheState.
ThePlanfocusedonthreemaingoals:honestdemocracy,honestelecons,andparliamentworkingonbehalfofcizens.
InthePlan,variousdirecveswereoutlinedtoachieveeachgoal.Thedevelopmentofanonlinepeonsystemwas
includedasameanstohelpParliamentworkforcizensneeds.Variousotheropennessmechanismswerealsoincluded,
suchasthebroadcasngofparliamentarymeengsandane-democracytrial.70InAugustof2002,a12-monthe-peon
trialbeganontheQueenslandParliamentwebsite.Theevaluaonofthetrialtookplacethefollowingyear;itfoundthat
thepublicandMembersofParliament(MPs)supportedthenewsystem,cingtheincreasedtransparencybroughtbythe
publishingofministerialresponsestopaperpeons.InNovember2003,e-peonsbecameanocialfeatureoftheQueenslandParliament.71
CASE STUDY:
Queensland, Australia
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Key Decision Areas for Queensland, Australia
Determining Engagement Goals
ThegoalsoftheQueenslande-peonsystemshouldbeviewedwithinthecontextofthelargerRestoringIntegrityGood
GovernmentPlan,whichoutlinedgovernmentresponsetoelectoralfraud.ThePlanwascreatednotonlyasaneeded
responsetoperceponsofcorrupon,butalsoasawaytoaddressdisengagementbycizens,declininglevelsofpublic
trustandincondenceingovernmentandincreasedpublicexpectaonsforgovernmentstoberesponsive,accountable,
andeecve.72E-peonswereincludedinthePlanasameansofmakingParliamentworkintheinterestsofcizens
andbringingthepublicintothegoverningprocess.Addionally,e-peonstintothegovernmentscommitmenttouse
informaonandcommunicaontechnology(ICT)toimprovegovernmentpolicies,programs,andservices,aswellasto
strengthenparcipatorydemocracy. 73
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NeilLaurie,ClerkoftheQueenslandParliament,summarizedthefollowinggoalsforthee-peonprogram:74
StrengthenthedemocracrightintendedbythepeoningprocesstogivethepublicadirectvoiceintheQueenslandParliament;
Createanaddionalavenuebywhichthepubliccanraiseissuesdirectlywiththeparliamentandprovideacentrallocaonwherethe
publiccanlearnaboutandsupportpeonsofwhichtheymayhavebeenotherwiseunaware;and
Delivergreateraccessibility,transparency,andresponsivenessaroundpeoning.
Thesegoalshaveinuencedthestructureofthee-peonsystemanditsimplementaon.Forexample,thee-peon
websiteservesasahubforallparliamentarypeons(electronicandpaperpeons),thusprovidingacentrallocaon
wherecizenscanparcipateinthepeonprocess.Centralizingthepeonprocesshelpeddeliveronthegoalofbringing
transparencytothepre-exisngpaperpeonprocess.75
Coecg E-Peo to Deciio-Mkig
Queenslandse-peonprocessisdierentfrommanyothere-peonprocessesintwosignicantways:thereisno
signaturethreshold,andaMemberofParliamentortheClerkoftheParliamentmustsponsorpeonsbeforethey
arepresentedtoParliament.Whilebothpaperandelectronicpeonsmustndasponsor,theprocessofacquiring
sponsorshipvariesbetweenpaperandelectronicpeons.Fore-peoncreators,ane-peonmustndasponsorbefore
itcanreceivesignatures.However,paperpeonsreceivesignaturesbeforesponsorship.Apeoncreator,calledthe
principalpeoner,caneitherndasympathecMPorcansubmitthepeontotheClerkoftheParliamenttoreceive
sponsorship.
Therststepinthee-peonprocess
isfortheprincipalpeonertonda
sponsor,eitheranMPortheClerk.Contact
informaonforMPsisavailableviathe
e-peonsite,asisane-peonrequest
form,whichisrequiredwhenseekingpeon
sponsorship.Thee-peonrequestform
asksforthewordingofthepeon,eligibility
criteriaforsigningthepeon,howlongthe
peonshouldremainacve,andcontact
informaonfortheprincipalpeonerand
thepeonsponsor.Theprincipalpeoner
canchoosefromamongthreeoponsto
determinewhoiseligibletosignthepeon:
Queenslandcizens,Queenslandresidents,
orvotersofacertainareawithinthestate.
Assuch,itistheprincipalpeoners
responsibilitytoidenfywhichgroupwould
havethegreatestinterestorcommitmentto
thepeon.
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IfaprincipalpeonerisabletondanMPtosponsorthepeon,theMPlespaperworkwiththeClerkofthe
Parliament,whodetermineswhetherthepeonmeetsthestatede-peonrequirements.76AerpassingtheClerks
review,thee-peonispostedonlineandisopenforsignatures.Apeoncanbepostedforaminimumofoneweekanda
maximumofsixmonths;theexactmeisdeterminedbytheprincipalpeonerandthepeonsponsor.Signatoriestothe
peonareabletosignuptoreceiveanautomacemailwiththepeonresponse.Oncethepeonhasreachedtheend
ofitsacveperiod,thepeonisclosedandpresentedtotheParliamentatitsnextsession.Theministeroverseeingthe
contentareaofthepeonmustsubmitaresponsetotheClerkwithin30days.Ifaministerisunabletorespond,areason
mustbesenttotheClerkwithin30days,andanalresponsemustbesubmiedwithinthreemonths.Aerreceiving
aministerialresponse,theClerkforwardstheresponsetotheprincipalpeoner,thepeonsponsor,andpeon
signatories,andalsopoststheresponseonline.
Oncearesponseispostedonline,itcanbefoundthroughalinkontheoriginalpeon,whichbringsupaPDFoftheformal
responseleerfromtheminister.Possiblee-peonresponsescaninclude:
Anexplanaonofwhataconsweretakenasaresultofthepeon.
Astatementthattheissueisunderconsideraon.
Anexplanaonofwhytheissuecannotorwillnotbepursued.
Paperpeonresponsesarehandledsimilarly,withtheexceponthatthepeongatherssignaturesbeforetheprincipal
peoneridenesasponsor.Responsestobothpaperandelectronicpeonsareavailableonthee-peonwebsite.
Mgig Cie-Goemet Iteco
Theinteraconbetweencizensandgovernmentismoderatedthroughtheformalconstruconofthee-peonwebsite
anditsrules,aswellthetypeofinteraconthattakesplaceonthesite.Thewebsitescondionsoutlinewhoiseligibleto
usethesiteandtheconsequencesofmisusingthesite.Queenslandscondionsofuseexplicitlystatethatfailuretocomply
withthesitestermsofusecouldresultinaneand,iftheneisnotpaid,imprisonment.77Theprivacystatementexplains
thatpeonersinformaon(name,address,emailaddress)iskeptunlthepeonreceivesaministerialresponse
orsixmonthshaspassedsincethee-peonwastabledbyParliament.Despitethedeleonofpeonerinformaon
aeraspeciedperiodofme,theprivacystatementclearlyindicatesthatpeoninformaonispublicandthatit
remainsavailableattheParliamentsTableOcetobereadorcopiedaerthepeonhasbeentabled.78Thismeans
thatpeonerinformaon,includingaddressesandemailaddresses,couldbeaccessedandcopiedevenaertheformal
peonperiodhasended.
Theprincipalpeonerisresponsibleforndingasponsorforthepeonandforadversingthepeontopotenal
signatories.Itistheprincipalpeonersresponsibilitytopromotetheirpeonandraiseawarenessinthecommunity.
TheQueenslandParliamentsroleisonlytofacilitatetheprocess.79Whiletheburdenofadversingfallsontheprincipal
peoner,MPsandtheirelectorateocestaalsoplayacrucialroleinthepeoningprocess.MPsareprovidedwith
trainingandmaterialstoassistpeonersastheymovethroughouttheprocess.80Thisinteraconservesasameansfor
MPstocreatevaluablerelaonshipswithacvecizensandreachouttovotersbyshowingtheirsupportforcizen-driven
iniaves.PeonerscanalsoreceivesupportfromtheOceoftheClerk,whocanhelpprovidestrategicguidance,suchas
howlongapeonshouldremainacve.81
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Thise-peoningstructurecreatesadynamicinteraconbetweencizensandgovernment.QueenslandsuseofMPor
Clerksponsorshipencouragesprincipalpeonerstohaveamorepersonalinteraconwithgovernmentocialsandhas
thepotenaltocreatemeaningfulcizen-governmentdialogue.AccordingtotheClerk,membersofthepublicregularly
seekadviceandassistanceinpreparingpeons.82However,thelevelofcizeninteraconseemstosubsideaerthe
peonenterstheformalresponseprocess.Oncethepeonresponseisissued,thereisnospecicspaceforcizen
interacononthatpeon.Atthatpoint,peonerscancreatenewpeonsormayconnuetoworkwiththepeon
sponsortondamoresuitablewaytobringtheissueontotheparliamentaryagenda.
DuetoQueenslandsinvestmentinothere-democracytools,interestedpeonersarealsoabletoviewlivebroadcasts
oftheparliamentarychamber,aswellasvariouscommieehearings.Archivedbroadcastsareavailabledangbackto
February2011.
Techic Coideo
QueenslandspeonswebsitewascreatedinhousebytheParliamentaryServicesInformaonTechnologyService,which
hasconnuedtosupporttheOceoftheClerkinmanagingthepeonsystemstechnicalcomponents. 83Itisesmatedthat
thecostofbuildingthesystemwasapproximately$80,000,whichwasprimarilyspentonhardware(server),relatedsoware,
anddeveloperhours.Thepeonsiteitselfhastwoprimaryinterfaces,oneforpeonsignersandtheotherforsystem
administrators.Thepublicpeon-signinginterfaceislargelyautomated,includingtheclosingofapeononaspecicdate
andthedeleonofsignatoryinformaon;however,theposngofministerialresponsesisperformedmanually. 84
Thesitefeaturesincludeapeon-signingfuncon,alistofcurrentpeons(bothelectronicandpaper),alistofclosed
peonsandministerialresponses,atotalnumberofsignaturesforeachpeon,asharefuncon(tosendpeonto
friends)andlinkstotheClerkandMPs.Topreventfraudthroughmassemailsubmissions,thee-peonsplaormulizes
auniqueIDgeneraonsystem,whichgiveseachpeonsignatureaveriableIDnumberwhichmustbequotedaspartofthesigningprocess.85Whilethesiteoersbothelectronicandpaperpeons,theyareaccessedthroughseparatelinks
onthemainpage.Addionally,thereisnosearchororganizingfuncon,whichcanmakeitdiculttonavigatetheexisng
peons.
Eo
Similartoothere-peonsystems,Queenslandevaluatesitspeonprogramwithacombinaonofusagedata,formal
evaluaon,andusersurveys.AccordingtotheClerkoftheParliament,therehavebeenover600e-peonsand1,323
paperpeonssincethebeginningofQueenslandse-peonprogram.Whiletherehavebeenmorepaperpeons,
e-peonsgenerallyreceivemoresignaturesbecausetheycanremainavailableonthewebsiteforuptosixmonths,which
islongerthanmostpaperpeonsremainacve.
AcomprehensiveevaluaonoftheQueenslande-peonprocessin2003conrmedthatthesystemisprovidingan
addionalandaccessibleavenueforthecommunitytoengageinakeygovernmentprocessandthatthereisahighlevelof
supportinthecommunityandamongMembersofParliamentforthee-peonprocess.86This2003evaluaonfoundthat
usersofthee-peonsystembelievedittobeaconvenienttoolthatincreasedtransparencyinthepeonprocessand
encouragedpublicinputingovernmentdecision-making.
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BetweenApril2003andMay2005,thepeonsiterananonlinesurveytogatherinformaonfromusers.Approximately
3.5%ofsiteusersrespondedtothesurvey,whichaskedwhypeopledecidedtousethesite,howtheyfoundoutabout
thesite,whatacviestheydidwhileonthesite,iftheywouldreturn,andtheirgeneralsasfaconwiththesite.Survey
respondentsfoundtheprocesseasytouseandthoughtitwasausefulopportunityfordemocracparcipaon.87Most
surveyrespondentsdiscoveredthesitethroughthepromoonofaspecicpeon,includingrecommendaonsfrom
others(39%),word-of-mouth(14%)orfromtheprincipalpeoner(10%).88Whenaskedwhypeonerssignedan
e-peon,over40%citedconvenience,andaboutaquartersaidtopromptapeonresponse.89Thissurveyhelpedto
provideasetofrecommendaonsforimprovementstothee-peonsystem.Unfortunately,therehasbeennoformal
evaluaonoftheQueenslande-peonsystemsince2005,soitisnotclearhowthegovernmenthasrespondedtoearlier
recommendaons.
COnClusIOn
Queenslands e-petition system demonstrates the usefulness of e-petitions as a mechanism
to idge the phic diide etwee goemet d the pic. a oted the Cek othe Pimet, cetig citie cce to goemet with dipeed poptio c e
diict, d poidig cceie goemet d ee o peope to he thei o
matters that are important to them and their communities, regardless of their location, is
particularly important and challenging in Queensland. 90
a pt o ge goemet iititie, Qeed w e to e e-petitio oce
o citie ctio d goemet tpec. Whie the ete o the Qeed
e-petition site are not flashy, the site is easy to navigate and delivers timely government
epoe, withot the cotit o igte thehod. Othe ge commitie, ch
tte o gecie with ge, decetied cotitecie, c ook to Qeed
mode o e-petitioig o ge ce tht ti ddee etie oc o detied citieconcerns.
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Background
BristolisacityinSouthWestEnglandwithapopulaonof428,100.Thecityhasundergoneapopulaonincreaseof9.7%
since2001andoverthepastdecadeithasexperiencedaninuxofinternaonalimmigrants,parcularlyfromIndia,
Somalia,andPoland.Thepopulaonisrelavelyyoung,withover70%undertheageof50,whichhascreatedstrainsona
widerangeofgovernmentservices.91
IndustryinBristolisvariedandincludestechnology,nancialservices,banking,anddistribuon.However,Bristolfaces
urbanchallengessuchascongesonandhighhousepricesrelavetoincome.Compoundedbyadicultnancialclimate,
workersandyoungerpeoplearendingithardertondworkandsomewheretolive.92Inaddion,Bristolcontainspockets
ofpoverty.In2008,anesmated27%ofchildrenlivedinpovertyinthecity,andinsomeareaspovertyamongchildren
reaches60%.93
Government Structure
TheBristolCityCouncilismadeupofaMayor,whoservesathree-and-a-half-yearterm,andcouncillors,whoservefour-
yearterms.Therearetwocouncillorsforeachofthecitys35wards.TheMayorselectsaCabinetofuptoeightcouncillors
tooverseevariousservicesanddeterminekeypolicies.Atvariousmesthroughouttheyear,allofthecouncillorsgatherin
aFullCounciltoappointcommiees,adoptandamendpolicyandbudgetframeworks,andsetthebudget.94
E-Peo i bito
Intheearly2000s,Bristolcityadministratorsrecognizedthatthecitywasexperiencingasignicantdeclineinvong,
especiallyamongtheyoung.95Toaddressthisparcipaonvacuum,thecitybeganexploringwaystoincreasecizen
accesstoandinvolvementinthecitycouncil.In2000,BristolexperimentedwithConsultaonFinder,anonlinesystem
wherecizenscouldexploreallofthecouncilspubicconsultaons.96Asthisexperimentaonwasoccurring,theBrish
governmentlaunchedanaonwidee-democracyiniave,calledtheLocale-DemocracyNaonalProject97,fundedthrough
theOceoftheDeputyPrimeMinister.In2004Bristol,alongwithoneothercity,wasawardedseveralgrantsthroughthis
e-democracyiniavetopilotnewparcipatorytools,includinge-peons.98
Bristolbeganane-peonpilotprogramin2004,usingamodiedversionofthee-peonerplaormdevelopedbyNapier
University,EdinburghfortheScoshParliament.Duringthesix-monthtrial,thee-peonsystemreceived9peonsand
890signatures.Throughoutthepilotperiodoftheproject,thee-democracyprogramteamexpendedsignicanteortto
ensurethatcitycouncilorsanddepartmentmanagersunderstoodthee-peonsystemandtheirrolewithintheprocess.
Overme,theprocesshasbecomeacceptedandexpectedbycizensandcouncillors.100
Attheendofthepilotperiod,theownershipofe-peontechnologydevelopedforBristolundertheLocale-Democracy
NaonalProjectwastransferredtoBristol.101In2007,Bristol,inconjunconwithNapierUniversityandPublicI,102modied
thepilotede-peonplaormtobeersuittheneedsofplaormadministrators.Forexample,theinialplaormallowed
CASE STUDY:
Bristol, England
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forsignatoriestoleavecommentsforeachsignature,whichbecametoomeintensiveforplaormadministratorstomanageandwasomiedfromtheplaormredesign.103Overme,theplaormhasconnuedtodevelopandnowincludes
socialmediasharingamongotherfeatures.Bristolse-peonplaormconnuestobepartofalargere-democracy
programthatincludeswebcasngcouncilmeengs,onlinediscussionforums,andthepublicconsultaonnder.104
Bristolwasaglobalpioneerinlocalgovernmente-peoning.TheBristole-peonplaormhasbecomeamodelfor
e-peoningatthelocallevelandhasbeenreplicatedaroundtheworld.
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Key Decision Areas for Bristol, EnglandI thi eco, we epoe the ke deciio i e-peo impemeto i bito.
Determining Engagement Goals
AlthoughBristoliniallydevelopeditse-peonsystemaspartofalargernaonal-levele-democracyiniave,Bristols
e-peonadministratorsandcouncillorsdeterminedthattheprogrambroughtvaluetobothcizensandgovernment.105
BristolsDemocracServicesTeam,whichmanagesthee-peonsystem,describedthefollowingengagementgoalsfor
Bristolse-peonsystem: 106
Informthepublicabouttheworkofthecitycouncil
Engagethepublicintheworkofthecouncil
Promotedemocracinvolvement
Thesegoalsaddressbothgovernmentandcizenneeds.Forthecitycouncil,e-peonsprovideapathtowardunderstandingthe
rolesandresponsibiliesofcitycouncillors,aswellasmakingcouncillorsmorevisibletovoters.Cizensareprovidedconvenient
accesstotheformalpolicy-makingprocess,inaddiontoincreasedaccountabilitythroughpublicresponsesandmoretransparent
decision-making.107GiventhehighconcentraonofyoungercizensinBristol,theirlowvoterturnout,andtheirhighInternet
usagerates,e-peons(alongwithothere-democracytools)wereseenasagoodwaytoincreaseparcipaon. 108
Coecg E-Peo to Deciio-Mkig
Bristolse-peonsiteclearlyoutlinestheformalstructureofthee-peonandpaperpeonprocessthroughadocumenttled
BristolCityCouncilPeonsScheme.Electronicandpaperpeonsaretreatedequallybythecouncilandmustconformtocertainrestricons,includinganexclusionofpeonsrelatedtoplanning,licensing,orissuesthatareunderappeal.
However,e-peonsoperateunderaslightlydierentmelineandprocess.Aeraleadpeonercreatesapeon,provides
thenecessarypersonalinformaon,anddetermineshowlongtheywouldliketheirpeontostayacve, 109theBristole-peon
administratorhasuptovedaystodeterminewhetherthepeonissuitableforonlineposng.Ifforsomereasonthepeon
isdeemedunsuitable,thesiteadministratorcontactstheleadpeonerandrequestschangesbeforethepeoncanbe
resubmied.Iftheleadpeonerdoesnotrespondwithchangeswithintendays,asummaryofthepeon,alongwitha
raonaleforwhyitwasnotposted,ispostedintherejectedpeonsseconofthesite.Peonscanberejectedforvarious
reasons,rangingfrominsucientsubmissioninformaontovexaous,abusiveorotherwiseinappropriatecontent. 110
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Onceane-peonisapprovedandplacedonthesite,itisopenforsignatures.Eachsignatoryisaskedtoprovidehisorher
name,postcode,andavalidemailaddressthatisveriedthroughanemailconrmaonsystem.Peonsignatoriescansee
thenamesandward(correspondingtopostcode)ofothersigners,butcontactinformaonisunavailable.Aerane-peon
isclosedforsignatures(themeframeisdeterminedbytheleadpeoner)andthepeonhasaminimumof20
signaturesfrompeoplewholive,workorstudyinBristol,thepeonissubmiedtoBristolsDemocracServicesTeamand
anacknowledgementissentviaemailtotheleadpeonerandsignatorieswithin15days.Theacknowledgementincludes
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informaonaboutwhatthecouncilintendstodowiththepeonandameframeforthecouncilsresponse.Peon
acknowledgementsandcouncilresponsearealsopostedonline.Councilresponsescantakeoneofthefollowingforms:
Conrmaonfromthecouncilthattheaconrequestedhasbeentaken.
Explanaonofwhytheaconcannotorwillnotbetaken,and/orifthecouncilintendstotakeadierentacon.
Anannouncementthatthecouncilintendstodebatetheissue,alongwiththedate,me,andlocaonofthatdebate.Peonsthathave
morethan3,500signatoriestriggertherighttobedebatedbythefullcouncil.Inthiscase,peonorganizersaregiventheopportunity
topresentatthatmeengandreceivewrienconrmaonoftheoutcomeofthedebate,whichisalsopostedonline.
Adeterminaonthattheissueneedsmoreinvesgaonandtheplannedstepstothatend.
ThecentralrolesinBristolse-peonprocessareplayedbytheDemocracServiceTeam,whichisresponsiblefor
communicangwithpeoners,coordinangaresponsewithrelevantcouncilorsorcommiees,andensuringthatthe
processoccurswithinthealloedmeframe.
Mgig the Cie-Goemet Iteco
Bristoltakesanacveroleinsengcizenexpectaonsaroundthee-peonprocess,includingitsoutcomesand
governmentimpact.Theformalpeonscheme,highlightedonthemaine-peonsite,isaprimarywayofsengclear
cizenexpectaonsforthee-peonprocess.Peonerswhotakethemetoreadthepeonschemewillhaveagood
ideaofwhattheycanexpectfromthepeonprocess,includingsubmissionrequirementsandthemelineforresponse.
Forthosewhomaynotreadtheenrepeonscheme,thepeonguidanceseconofthee-peonsiteoersasecon
onWhatcanpeonsachieveandsimplyoutlinestwopossibleoutcomes:bringinganissuetotheaenonofthecouncil
anddemonstrangpublicsupportordisapprovalofanissue.111
Thedetailsoutlinedinthepeonscheme,suchaspotenalresponsetypesandotherwaystosharecizenviews,help
tosetatoneofgovernmentresponsivenessandleavetheimpressionthattheBristolcouncilisgenuinelyinterestedinthe
concernsofcizens.TheBristolgovernmentfurthersthisbywebcasngcouncildiscussionsandhighlighnge-peons,
amongotherengagementacvies,onthecityshomepage.Inaddion,thestructureofthee-peonwebsitehelps
toshapethecizen-governmentinteracon.Acitywebpagedescribingthee-peonprocesshighlightssomenotable
peonsandwhattheyhaveachieved,suggesngtositevisitorsthatthee-peonprocessimpactsdecision-making.112
Whilenotnecessarilyreadbymostpeoners,thesiteuseandprivacypoliciesarealsoanimportantcomponentofwhat
peonerscanexpectfromthee-peonexperience.OntheTermsandCondionspage,theprivacypolicystateshowthe
peonerinformaonwillbeusedandhowlongitwillbekept,alongwithhowandwhycertaininformaoniscollected
andmaintained.113
However,formaldocumentaonisnottheonlywaythatBristolshapesthecizen-governmentinteracon.When
e-peonswererstlaunched,theplaormwasadversedinlocalnewspapersandthroughpromoonalpamphlets,as
wellasthroughcommunitygroupsandevents.114 Thecityalsooersanewsleerthathighlightse-democracyacvieson
itswebsite.
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Bristolwasalsoabletoleveragemediacoverageofthee-peonplaormtoencouragemoreuserstovisitthesite.One
controversialpeonin2007abouttheremovalofgraartbythearstBanksygarneredover3,000e-peonsignatures
andmediacoveragethroughoutthecountry,whichhelpedincreasecizenawarenessaboutthesystem.115Whilethecouncil
didnotcontrolthemediacoverageitself,Bristolissuednewsarclesandpressreleasestohighlightwhataconshave
beentakenasaresultofe-peons.116Indoingso,Bristolhelpedtoshapethemediacoverageofthee-peonsplaorm
andsetsimpactexpectaonsforcizenpeoners.
ItisimportanttonotethatBristolencouragescitycouncillorstoiniatepeonsusingthee-peonplaorm.Thiscreates
aspaceforcouncillorstotryandgaincommunitysupportfortheirdesiredpoliciesandfostersinteraconbetweenelected
ocialsandcommunitymembers.
Techic Coideo
Bristolscurrente-peonplaormemergedoutofthetrial-periodplaormdevelopedbyNapierUniversityandfunded
throughfederalgovernmentgrants.TheNapierUniversityplaorm,e-peoner,wasiniallydevelopedfortheScosh
ParliamentandwasmodiedtobeusedinBristol.In2007,aerthecompleonofthetrialperiod,Bristolmovedtoan
open-sourceplaormdevelopedbytheirICTcontactors,PublicI.Onmakingthistransiontotheopen-sourceplaorm,
CarolHayward,aconsultaonmanagerfromtheBristolCityCouncil,noted,Theoriginalprojecttaughtusagreatdeal
aboute-peoningandworkingwithNapier[University]gaveusanexcellentopportunitytoreallytestwhethere-peons
wereaneecvee-democracytool.Webelievethatthiswasprovenhoweverwewantedtoenhancetheservicefurther
tobothsupportourbackocefunconsmoreeecvelyestablishingthemanagementofbothonlineandhardcopy
peons.Wewerekeenanysystemalsoedinwithouropensowareapproach.117
ThisnewerplaormwasprimarilybasedontheNapierUniversitymodel,buthadgreatercustomizaonandintegraon
withBristolsotherwebdemocracyiniaves.BristolwasalreadycontracngwithPublicIforwebcasngservices,andPublicIaddedthedevelopmentofthee-peonplaormatnoaddionalcosttoitsexisngcontract.PublicIconnues
toprovidetechnicalsupporttotheBristole-peonplaorm.Thesitesprimaryuser-facingfeaturesinclude:creang
peons,signingpeons,sorngpeons(basedonstatus,118tle,date,signaturecount,orpeontarget),andalistof
signatories.Therevampedplaormaddedatrackingfuncontoallowsitemanagerstotracktheprogressofpeonsand
moreeasilymonitorpeonstatus.Italsointegratedthemanagementofpaperpeons,allowingpeonadministratorsa
singleinterfacetomonitorallpeons.119
Version2oftheBristole-peonplaormisopen-sourceandcanbefoundathp://joinup.ec.europa.eu/soware/
epeons/home.ThenewestversionofthesowareusedonthecurrentBristolsiteispubliclyoeredbyPublicIfor
3,500,alongwithayearlysite-hosngfeeof500.120Thesamesowarecanbeseenonothergovernmentpeonsites,
suchastheWestSussexCountyCouncilsite,whichisalmostidencaltoBristolssiteexceptforitsbranding.121
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Eo
TheBristolcaseisuniqueinthatthetrialperiodofthee-peonplaormwasthoroughlyevaluatedaspartoftheLocal
e-DemocracyNaonalProject.Themetricsusedaspartofthetrialincludedsiteusage,implementaoncosts,andpotenal
forimpact.Consideringthatatrialofe-peoninghadnotoccurredonthelocallevelbefore,theresultsappeared
promising.Aerasix-monthtrial,ninee-peons 122hadbeensubmied,and16monthslater,inJuly2006,theplaorm
hadreceived39e-peons.123Theplaormwasjudgedtoberelavelyresource-intensiveforlocalcouncils,butlesssofor
cizens.124
CurrentevaluaonoftheBristole-peonsystemfocusesonusageofthee-peonplaorm,intermsofthenumberof
totalsignaturesandthenumberofpeonssubmiedonayearlybasis.Thee-peonsystemhasreceivedover200,000
signatures,andthenumberofe-peonsreceivedrangesfrom21to55peryear. 125Addionally,theDemocracServices
Teamthatoverseesthee-peonplaormusessurveystogatherfeedbackfromcizenparcipants,butresponseratesare
low.126However,anecdotalevidencesuggeststhatthee-peonsystemhasengagedthepublic,especiallyyoungerpeople. 127
COnClusIOn
The epeiece o bito, e dopte o e-petitioig, poit to oth the otce d
oppotitie o oc goemet e-petitioig. The wideped cceptce d e o the
ptom pek to the e tht e-petitioig ig oth the pic d eected oici.
Whie it oe pce to oice pic coce, it o poide pic oici with me
to pomote thei poicie d detd pic opiio. bito epeimettio with it
ite how tht e-petitio eqie time d mgemet to wok eectie, d c e
tegtheed othe imteo e-democc ctiitie. leo ike thee c e tke
and applied to other localities interested in pursuing e-petition processes, making Bristol amode o thoght d eoig oc e-petitio epeimettio.
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Construcngane-peonsystemthatmeetstheunique
needsofyourjurisdiconrequiresmakingacomplexand
interconnectedsetofdecisionsasyoumovetowardand
throughimplementaon.Inparcular,asyoumovethrough
thedesignofane-peonsystem,itwillbeessenaltoregularlyrevisitthegoalsyousetattheoutsettoensure
thatyoure-peonprocesswillserveyourcommunity
aswellasyourgovernment.Whileitwillbeimportantto
addressallofthequesonsraisedinthispaperandtostudy
carefullythethreecaseswehavefeatured,therearefour
majorrecommendaonsworthemphasizing.
rEMaIn flExIblE anD aWarE Of yOur COMMunITy
COnTExT.Whatworksinoneplacemaynotworkinanother,
eveniftheplaceshavesimilarcharacteriscs.Makesurethat
theprocessthatyoucreateisabletomeetyourcommunitys
specicneeds.
ExPErIMEnT anD EvaluaTE, PublICly.E-peon
implementaonisaniteraveprocessandthepeonsystem
youcreatewilllikelychangeoverme.Beopentothatchange
andincludethepublicinmakingimportantadjustmentstothe
process.Prepareregularevaluaonsofthee-peonprogram
andreachouttothepublicfortheirfeedback.Allowthepublic