If you really want to code on JAMStack, I have a few open issues on my project Crush2020.org that connects activists with campaigns to donate to and volunteer with (https://github.com/spacedogXYZ/crush2020). It’s Gatsby not Redwood, but still uses Netlify functions and Fauna as a backend.
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Hi Josh, thanks so much for your thoughtful post. And welcome to Redwood.
I think you are right; I’ve been having no success getting data, and I realize that the even harder part would be getting the site noticed. So I’m feeling like I had the idea too late.
The good news is that while I was volunteering at the polls this morning the lines were short rather than many hours long. So maybe there isn’t the serious problem that I feared.
P.S. I’m impressed by what I’ve seen of Crush2020!
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@jlev I’m always thinking about these kinds of things. And I’m very aware how hard it is to anticipate these things on the frontend — they require observation and analysis.
In this case, might you have any links to research or case studies about voting/polling in particulare? Understood if not.
And thanks again for taking the time to add to this conversation!
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@ryancwalsh I was out for a long weekend with the family and just now getting plugged back in. Curious about where you’re at with this project? I (always) have ideas, especially when it comes to optimizing for learning outcomes. No pressure either way.
@jlev do you happen to know of any research/information about the primary reasons, related to logistics, as to why people don’t vote? I’d be very curious to better understand the mechanics and circumstances that deter people.
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Glad you had a much-deserved rest. And thanks for your questions.
I’ve slowed down my efforts and enthusiasm about VoteQuickly because:
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I think my fears of the “problem” may have been overblown (I’m not seeing the headlines about extremely long wait times anymore, such as the 8-hr waits that GA started out with)
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From my experience at the polls on 3 separate days: I’ve seen some odd behavior that makes me think that (some) people actually choose and enjoy the long waits (which I’m guessing is because maybe they think waiting longer makes the experience more meaningful and more of a story)
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I’ve gotten practically 0 traction when trying to promote it, and time is running out.
BUT, I’ve still been spending time trying to improve it just because (like you were saying) it’s a helpful way to learn (Redwood, GraphQL, TypeScript, etc).
I posted 3 questions to Thinking about patterns for services, GraphQL, Apollo, cells, etc and with David T’s help have solved #1 and #3 but not the question about how to use GraphQL queries/mutations from the front-end outside of a component.
So that’s what I’ll be focusing on next.
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Thanks for the update! Please do keep 'em coming as you have time.
- I think my fears of the “problem” may have been overblown
^^ Clearly there’s a lot of complexity here. And it’s going to keep changing over time. So TBD
- From my experience at the polls on 3 separate days: I’ve seen some odd behavior that makes me think that (some) people actually choose and enjoy the long waits
^^ Reminds me of some Behavioral Economics research I read. Who knows, maybe no lines or short lines actually make people feel like no one else is voting so it must not be important… ¯_(ツ)_/¯
- I’ve gotten practically 0 traction when trying to promote it, and time is running out.
^^ Be careful how you interpret this. Clearly it’s a signal about your potential ROI, but remember it’s also a factor of:
- your personal network and potential for marketing (given current media noise about voting right now)
- the difference between what you perceive as the problem and what your potential users perceive as a problem. Long lines are clearly an indicator of poor infrastructure that reduces accessibility across all categories of people. But maybe, for voters, that’s not actually a problem they think about when it comes to going to a polling place to vote. I don’t have any answers here, but this is the thinking behind my questions to Josh in an earlier post.
Lastly, I wasn’t referring to learning specifically in the technical sense (although that’s very rewarding). I was also referring to learning about politics, voting, and social behavior around an election. Based on this discussion, it seems there’s a tremendous amount to be learned and no central place with either the data or the answers.
fwiw…
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I love how you’re thinking! Thanks!
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