We decided that it was important to track not only where leaders went, but also what they said in each location, so that we could highlight the issues covered and provide additional sources of information for users, as voters, allowing them to obtain more information regarding leaders’ platforms and priorities around issues. Additionally, we developed brief summaries of each of the leaders’ debates, as a way to further underscore the range of issues addressed by each leader’s campaign. We tagged each campaign stop by party, and indicated whether any policy announcements were made, allowing users to focus their use of the tracking map by topic, if they desired. Furthermore, users had the option to search the tracking map by party, location, and issue to find specific campaign stops and announcements.
In producing this site, I was able to hone my web-development skills, as my role in the project focused on creating the website that hosted our map and in creating the map itself, inputting each of the location stops and descriptions that accompanied them. This task, while at times tedious, allowed me to actively follow each party leader’s campaigns in real time, becoming more engaged with the election than I would otherwise have been and certainly more engaged than I have been in previous elections. Moreover, this project helped me develop better and more effective editing skills as I aimed to create a consistent voice.
On the corresponding website for our project, we created pages with additional information we inferred from our tracking, such as regional findings, and party findings, to help viewers navigate the wealth of information we uncovered. The decision to include this additional information was one of the best we made as a team, with the goal of providing voters with a complete understanding of the election campaigns without having to visit multiple sites. It framed our project's research as we looked for potential patterns in campaign stops and what was said in what location, and any inconsistencies in election promises and party platforms.
This project allowed for the opportunity to work in a fast-paced, group setting to create a product we were proud of. It simulated real-world product development and election coverage, providing a glimpse into some of the potential work we could do as political scientists upon graduation. It was a standout experience of my undergraduate career, one that I will remember fondly when I use the many skills I gained through its completion.
We prepared a presentation on our project for the Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference in the Spring of 2020. Unfortunately, this event was cancelled due to Covid-19.
This process taught me about the way politicians campaign and also offered me my first experience creating a large-scale project for public consumption. I also learned more about the importance of time management, creating a consistent and clear narrative, and the presentation of visuals in developing a website that would be widely accessible and useful to the average voter.