Votomatic for the People
2004
Prominent
New York artists and designers were asked to transform actual Votomatic
booths, the center of the controversy surrounding the 2000 Presidential
Elections in Florida.
Working with Carlos J. Gomez de Llarena
and Jason Marks, on behalf of R/GA, we decided
the piece had to be interactive. With only two days to complete the project,
using computers or video screens was out. Our approach made slight but
powerful modifications to the Votomatic: we re-wrote the instructions
(see below), designed a ballot with only one choice, and attached a shredder
to the device. Voters were instructed to insert their ballot into a "democracy
slot," which concealed the shredder. As time went on, the shredded
ballots accumulated in a pile on the floor, a testimony to the democratic
process.
Compare the original Votomatic instructions to our modified instructions.
Finally, let's not forget the modified ballot.