Was GovTrack a Good Idea? Not really.

In Joshua Tauberer mentions GovTrack.us in his article in medium about how democracy can’t be fixed, and asks if it was a good idea. Let’s analyze it.

Before we analyze, let’s make some categories. Note that I’m inventing this- there’s probably a field of study of this that has better, and standard, definitions.

  1. Idea – a bunch of thoughts that seem significant
  2. Coherent Idea – the logic of the idea is complete
  3. Sound Idea – A complete idea whose logic is sound, meaning it’s all true.
  4. Solution – a product design that implements a sound idea in a way that is rewarding and valuable to the users.
  5. Viable solution – a solution that can be cost-effectively marketed
  6. Business – a viable solution that will bring in revenues greater than costs.

Let’s look at what he says:

I thought I was building an accountability tool. If only the American public had more information they could head-off failures in government by voting more effectively in elections.

The Logic

Let’s look at the logic first by listing the assertions:

1.0 With more information voters could vote more effectively
2.0 A site that gave voters information would be an accountability tool.
3.0 Voting more effectively would decrease failures in government.

The Complete Idea

This is an idea. Let’s make it a complete idea, by revealing hidden assumptions.

0.1 Voters would use a site that gave them useful information
0.2 Voters would find a site that gave them useful information
0.3 How representatives vote and information about legislation is useful for voters
1.0 With more (useful) information voters could vote more effectively
1.1 Voting provides accountability
2.0 A site that gave voters information would be an accountability tool.
3.0 Voting more effectively would decrease failures in government.

Is the Idea Sound?

Logic is sound basically if it’s true. Now I’ll mark up the statements with my opinion of soundness.

0.1 Voters would use a site that gave them useful information – Some would
0.2 Voters would find a site that gave them useful information – Few would
0.3 How reps vote and information about legislation is useful for voters – Mostly False
– Legislation is complex and one doesn’t know why a rep voted a certain way.
1.0 With more (useful) information voters could vote more effectively – Mostly False
– There’s so little choice in elections, more information often makes no difference
– The site tells nothing about challengers.
1.1 Voting provides accountability – False, it provides a little bit of accountability
2.0 A site that gave voters information would be an accountability tool – False
– It wouldn’t be a significant increase in accountability
   3.0 Voting more effectively would decrease failures in government. – Moot
– Given that the site wouldn’t help people vote effectively, the truth of this
doesn’t really matter.

Verdict- Is the Idea Good? No

GovTrack.us is a wonderful resource. But for the problem of Congress not being accountable to the public, it’s neither a good idea nor a solution.

I trust that Joshua put better thinking into GovTrack’s design than he listed in that paragraph. But with his long list of failed projects, perhaps incomplete problem-solving has been one of his problems. And he would still need to figure out how it could be effectively marketed and pay for its operations.

 

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About Rand Strauss

Rand Strauss is the Founder of PeopleCount.org, a nonpartisan plan to enable the public to communicate constructively with each other and government by taking stands on crucial political issues. It will enable us to hold government accountable and have it be an expression of our will. Connect with Rand and PeopleCount.org on Facebook. Or leave a comment on an article (they won't display until approved.)

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