Mapping Turnout

At 11:00
Place: Department of Sociology and Social Research, Via Verdi 26 Trento, Meeting room – III floor,

Speaker:

• Michael E. Shin, University of California - Los Angeles

Chair:

• Cristiano Vezzoni, University of Trento

Abstract:

Civic engagement is an important feature of democracy. Voter turnout is often used as a proxy for civic engagement, and a barometer of the quality of a democracy or the legitimacy of an election. This project evaluates the potential of text messaging to increase levels of voter turnout across Los Angeles, a city that is famous for its weather, traffic and political apathy. A geographic perspective is used to frame and evaluate the results from a field experiment designed to mobilize citizens during the recent 2014 elections in Los Angeles. By offering insights into political indifference across Los Angeles, and testing replicable citizen mobilization strategies, this project addresses fundamental questions surrounding civic engagement, urban governance and designing democratic outcomes. This experiment also raises numerous ethical questions and issues surrounding the potential and pitfalls of big data, predictive analytics, geo-visualization, and mobile technology which must be addressed as the internet-of-things is realized.

Biographical note:

Michael Shin is associate professor in the Department of Geography at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), and serves as director of the Geospatial @ UCLA (http://gis.ucla.edu) initiative. His research interests include political geography, Italian politics and society, urban geography, and the application and social implications of geospatial information technologies.