Problem Statement:

Currently, the Center for Civic Justice department utilizes paper forms for students to fill out to register to vote. However, with the continuous increase in incoming students, the organization would like assistance in making sure students are well-informed and have easy access to information about voter registration. A successful solution would be to use technology to make this process more efficient and simple for students to find information in one website and to fill the forms out electronically, as well as provide the organization with an efficient system to store student records. 

 

Product Position:

The target users for this platform would be our clients of the Center for Civic Justice and also students going through the voter registration process. Our clients need a way to store and track student records like their names, SBU address, and ID of those who submit forms. The students might have two different types of uses. Some may want to register to vote from their state of residence and some may want directions on how to submit absentee ballot forms by mail.

Our envisioned system is a platform hosted on github which is integrated with Jotform and Google Drive. After the students specify which of the two actions they want to do, and what state they’re from, they will be redirected to Jotform where they can fill out their respective forms online. This form will then be stored in our client’s backend Google Drive folder and some important information about the student’s name, address, ID, etc, will be stored in a separate Google Spreadsheet. 

There are a few websites that assist with the voter registration process but our product is unique because it is a one-stop shop specifically for Stony Brook Students. It helps our client have access to data of SBU students that they wouldn’t get if they used other websites instead. 

 

Feature List:  

• Voter forms from every state and county.
• Forms that can be filled out online.
• Forms that can be directly sent and stored to the client’s Google Drive. 
• The system must be easy to use for the client.

 

Constraints:

• There may be some cost/pricing constraints since the technology we want to include in our overall product does require a cost of $30-$40/month. 

 

Use Cases:

• Case 1: A student who wants to register to vote comes upon our website
  • Case 1.1: Student lives in New York and wishes to use their SBU address
  • Case 1.2: Student lives in New York but wishes to use a non-SBU address.
  • Stakeholders: 
    • The student: They need to be able to find the correct form for their state.
    • The client: They need to be able to acquire two things: a form with some basic information about the student, and the voter form, both going to two separate databases on their Google Drive. 
  • Precondition: They have to be a SBU student
  • Postcondition: The form is sent to the client’s Google Drive folder/database. 
  • Success scenarios:
    • Case 1.1: The student visits the website → clicks on “voter registration” → selects their state as NY→ redirected to Jotform to their respective form to start filling out with the address section pre-filled as SBU address → when finished filling out the form, student must hit submit → the form should appear in the client’s Google Drive database.
    • Case 1.2:  The student visits the website → clicks on “voter registration” → selects their state/county → redirected to Jotform to their respective form to start filling out → when finished filling out the form, student must hit submit → the form should appear in the client’s Google Drive database.
  • Flaws: If the student fills out the form incorrectly, they must resubmit in which case the client has to check and delete the incorrect one. 

 

• Case 2: A student who wants to fill out absentee ballot forms
  • Stakeholders:
    • The student: They need to be able to find the correct absentee voting form for their state or have a page to find directions on how to submit absentee voting form.
    • The client: The client requires a form with some of the basic information about the student (ID, which state they are submitting absentee voting to)
  • Precondition:
    • They have to be a SBU student
    • It is not possible to request  a ballot by mail.
  • Postcondition: The basic information is sent to the client’s Google Drive folder/database.
  • Success scenario: The student visits the website → clicks on “absentee voting” → selects their state → redirected to absentee voting form for that state → student complete necessary forms and hit submit → the basic info form should appear in client’s Google Drive database and student will finish the steps to send the form properly or request form
  • Flaw: If the student fills out the basic information form incorrectly, they must resubmit it and the client will have to check and delete the incorrect one.

 

• Case 3: A student wants to fill out absentee ballot forms for states that allow option to request to vote by main online
  • Stakeholders: 
    • The student: They need to be redirected to the appropriate state and county’s website. 
    • The client: They need to be able to acquire two things: a form with some basic information about the student, and the voter form, both going to two separate databases on their Google Drive. 
    • Precondition:
      • They have to be a SBU student
      • The state has to allow option to request to vote by mail online.
    • Postcondition: The form with the student’s basic information is sent to the client’s Google Drive folder/database. 
    • Success scenario: The student visits the website → clicks on “voter registration” → selects their state/county → redirected to the appropriate webpage of the state/county with instructions of how to vote by mail
    • Flaws: Not enough opportunity for the client to guide the students with each state/county’s requisitions.