By Maira Magro
Brazil’s 2010 elections has been marked by the use of the internet as a means of broadening information access and bringing citizens into the electoral process, Global Voices’ Manuella Ribeiro writes. In this world of “Politics 2.0,” the candidates are using social media to campaign and participate in debates, while transparency and citizen participation projects are proliferating on the internet.
Ribeiro lists several initiatives that are important for the upcoming Oct. 3 elections, when Brazilians will vote for president, governors, senators, and state and federal deputies.
*Google created the 2010 Brazilian Elections platform, which includes interactive maps that track candidate movements across the country and shows the results of previous elections. It also includes a YouTube channel where citizens can pose questions – the best of which are voted on by users and answered by candidates on TV.
*The No Criminal Record Campaign, created by the Movement against Electoral Corruption, monitors whether candidates are following the Criminal Record Law, which says those convicted of serious crimes like corruption cannot run for office.
*The Excellencies project, created by Transparency Brazil, puts information online about more than two thousand lawmakers, using government and newspaper data.
*Conscientious Vote tracks the performance of politicians in the São Paulo state legislature and in the state’s city councils.
*Vote on the Web translates legislation into clear and simple language, allows users to say whether they support or oppose it, and then compares their votes to the candidates’ positions.
*Elector 2010 allows users to submit complaints about electoral irregularities, which are then placed on an interactive online map. (Read this Knight Center interview the with project’s creators.)
*Open Congress offers a variety of information about politics and elections, including data on parliamentary votes, presence at legislative sessions, proposed laws, and information on political parties.
*Democratic City is a space for citizens to discuss municipal politics and elections.
*Adopt a Politician helps citizens blog about the legislative activities of a lawmaker.
Other projects include: 10 Questions, I Remember, How Much Is Your Candidate Worth?, and Vote Right.
For more information, see the full Global Voices Online post in English.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
