From the Beacon Editor | Who should you vote for in local races? Virginia Beach resident helps come up with an online tool to help
By David Schleck
Kings Grant resident Kevin Curry is an online matchmaker. But instead of helping you find a suitable date, he'll find you a suitable candidate.
Curry and a team of volunteers are behind a website named okcandidate.code4hr.org. Go there, type in your neighborhood, then answer about 20 questions on Virginia Beach issues such as light rail, education and public safety.
At the end, the website recommends specific candidates to vote for in the mayor and City Council races, based on how you and the candidates answered the questions. It took me about 15 minutes to generate a report based on my political views.
Curry and his team are members of Code for Hampton Roads, which is the local chapter of CfA Brigade, an international volunteer program of Code for America. From what I can tell, these guys are computer software experts who create programs for neat causes.
"I mused around the table about how great it would be if we had a simple scorecard to match us with candidates who share our values," said Curry, who drafted the survey questions with input from editors at The Virginian-Pilot and AltDaily.com. He asked the candidates to answer the questions, and rate, or weigh, each issue on its importance.
One of his cohorts, Blaine Price, described it as "like OKCupid, but for candidates and voters." The name "OKCandidate" was born.
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They developed an online survey for Norfolk voters in the last election, and this time they've added Virginia Beach.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the rest of Curry's group: Stanley Zheng, Tommy Tavenner and Bret Fisher. They all have day jobs in the computer/software industry, and volunteer for voter/civic engagement initiatives on the side.
They really started something. Code4HR was the first chapter of the international "brigade," and now there are hundreds of similar groups around the world, Curry said.
If you're a software nerd interested in this group, find out more at code4hr.org.
David Schleck edits the Beacon section of The Virginian-Pilot, which covers community news in Virginia Beach. Reach him at 757-222-5108, david.schleck@pilotonline.com.
From The Beacon Editor
David Schleck
Code For Hampton Roads
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