Citizens in Charge

Ok, so they’re only really “robots” in the same way that an ATM is technically a robot. There are no cool lasers or arms. It can’t crush cars or fly (yet), but it might talk to you. I’m not entirely sure about the last point as I haven’t seen one of these things in person yet, but I imagine some sort of audio prompt is possible.

“Petey” is its name, and it was developed by Ross Day who runs the petition firm Vote Oregon to help gather petition signatures.

The newest piece of technology in signature gathering comes on the heels of a smart-phone application that allows citizens to sign petitions from their phones. “Petey” looks kind of like an ATM. A citizen can walk up and select a petition to sign. The machine then prints it out, and it can be filled out just like it would from a human petition circulator. The completed petition form is then dropped into a lock-box on the side and the citizen is on their way. It looks simple, cheap, and fast. This could revolutionize petition signature gathering and make it much easier for citizens to keep their government in check.