Saving the US voting system with science

Citizens vote on Election Day at Fire Station #71 in Alhambra, Los Angeles County, on November 6, 2012 in California, as Americans flock to the polls nationwide to decide between President Barack Obama, his Rebuplican challenger Mitt Romney, and a wide range of other issues. Alhambra is one of 6 cities in California's 49th Assembly District, the state's first legislative district where Asian-Americans make up the majority of the population. AFP PHOTO / Frederic J. BROWN (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)

What happens when you merge political science with computer algorithms? The Voter Technology Project hopes to find out

If you're casting your ballot today you might run into some poll watchers carefully observing the process of voting.

Among them are researchers from Caltech and MIT collecting election data at the ground level.

Michael Alvarez, political science professor at Caltech, heads the Voter Technology Project, which offers research and tools designed to improve our voting system.

So how can science be applied to politics? Turns out, the lines at voting booths are similar to traffic in downtown L.A. At polling stations, bottlenecks can occur and slow down the flow when machines malfunction or volunteers make mistakes. The Voter Technology Project applies algorithms used in the private sector to develop tools to minimize congestion and maximize efficiency.

The Voter Technology Project is also supporting a site that monitors the election on Twitter. Tweets with hashtags such as "#ballot" or "#voting" can be analyzed in real time, showing how an individual is reacting to one particular aspect of the voting process.

Alvarez hopes that by 2028, the voting process will become easier and more streamlined. His vision? Voters will be automatically registered; booths will be flexible; remote voting will be more secure.

To listen to Michael Alvarez's interview with Take Two, click on the blue media player above.