The Polling Place Photo Project is a nationwide experiment in citizen journalism that seeks to empower citizens to capture, post and share photographs of democracy in action. By documenting their local voting experience on November 7, voters can contribute to an archive of photographs that captures the richness and complexity of voting in America.

With citizen's images and the information that accompanies them, the Project becomes a research tool on how voting happens in America and how it can be designed to be easier, less confusing and more enjoyable. The project intends to collect photographs of every polling place in America, so you are encouraged to participate no matter where you vote, how large or small your polling place is, what kind of ballot you use, or what your party affiliation.

SPONSORS

Individuals and institutions

AIGA
AIGA, the professional association for design, is the oldest and largest membership association for design professionals engaged in the discipline, practice and culture of designing. Its mission is to advance designing as a professional craft, strategic tool and global cultural force.
www.aiga.org

Design for Democracy
Design for Democracy increases civic participation by making the experience clearer, more understandable, easier to accomplish and more trustworthy. Design and social research professionals collaborate to enable compelling, efficient and trust-building experiences between government and the governed.

On a nonprofit basis, Design for Democracy offers consultation services to federal, state and local government agencies by developing models and prototypes to address large and small civic communication or industrial design problems. We consult with groups who work with government agencies in order to institutionalize design standards. Design for Democracy helps government agencies find either national or local professional designers and researchers within its membership, who, on a for-hire basis, will test and implement designs. Design for Democracy is a strategic program of AIGA, the professional association for design.
www.designfordemocracy.org

Design Observer
The Polling Place Photo Project was conceived as a national initiative of citizen journalism by William Drenttel and Design Observer. Design Observer is the largest webblog about design and visual culture and is edited and authored by Michael Bierut, William Drenttel and Jessica Helfand.
www.designobserver.com

NewAssignment.Net
NewAssignment.Net is a nonprofit site that tries to spark innovation in journalism by showing that open collaboration over the Internet among reporters, editors and large groups of users can produce high-quality work that serves the public interest, holds up under scrutiny, and builds trust. At New Assignment, pros and amateurs cooperate to produce work that neither could manage alone. The site uses open-source methods to develop good assignments and help bring them to completion.

Still in an early stage of development, New Assignment.Net has received support from the MacArthur Foundation, Reuters, Sunlight Foundation and Craig Newmark. New Assignment.Net headed by Jay Rosen of PressThink and the New York University's Department of Journalism.

Jay Rosen teaches journalism at New York University, where has been on the faculty since 1986. From 1999 to 2005, he served as chair of the Department. Rosen is the author of PressThink, a weblog about journalism and its ordeals, which he introduced in September 2003. In June 2005, PressThink won the Reporters Without Borders 2005 Freedom Blog Award for outstanding defense of free expression. He also blogs at the Huffington Post.
www.newassignment.net

Thirdwave
Thirdwave is AIGA's development partner and responsible for supporting the technology of the Polling Place Photo Project, as well as countless other AIGA online initiatives.
www.thirdwavellc.com

Winterhouse Institute
William Drenttel is president emeritus of AIGA, a trustee of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum and a fellow of the New York Institute of the Humanities at New York University. Drenttel is a partner with Jessica Helfand in Winterhouse Institute, which supports writing and publishing projects that further an understanding of design and visual culture. In 2006, Winterhouse Institute and AIGA started the Winterhouse Awards for Design Writing & Criticism, the first national prize recognizing excellent writing about design and new voices in design criticism and commentary.
www.winterhouse.com

Media supporters

The Deck
A premier advertising network that reaches web and design professionals, The Deck serves up millions of page views each month and is uniquely configured to connect the right marketers to a targeted, influential audience. www.coudal.com/deck/

Election Day Bloggers' Legal Guide

State Election Office Contact List (National Association of Secretaries of State)

Polling Place Hours (PDF)

Video the Vote