Evan Meyers Headshot

Author: Evan Meyers | Majors: Computer Science, Spanish | Semester: Fall 2024

My name is Evan Meyers and I am pursuing majors in Computer Science and Spanish with a minor in Mathematics. During the fall 2024 semester, I researched within the Honors College under the guidance of my mentors Dr. Louise Hancox and Dr. Jennie Popp. My research involves creating an app for Apple devices that helps walk University of Arkansas students through the often complicated world of voting. While the app primarily focuses on presidential elections, it is helpful for state and local races as well. The information includes how to register, what documents are needed, and details on early and absentee voting. Our goal is to make the voting process more accessible, particularly for students, in the hopes of increasing young voter turnout to improve the democratic process.

I was not a part of the creation of this research project but was brought on after it began. One of my peers, who is a part of the project, needed assistance with programming the app as there was a significant amount of work to be done. Through this opportunity, I met my mentors Dr. Hancox and Dr. Popp, and began contributing to the project.

My involvement not only strengthened my technical skills but also helped me learn about the complexities of the voting process in the United States. I have since gained a strong awareness of the differences in voter registration requirements across states, as well as the varying levels of accessibility in voting procedures. From a technical standpoint, my skills have grown immensely. My experience with this research has taught me how to use Typescript, particularly for designing visual elements for a program. This has made me much more confident with front-end programming which is a very sought-after skill in the software development industry.  Beyond the technical knowledge, I also developed valuable skills in planning and collaboration. Our team held weekly meetings to track progress, discuss challenges, and set goals, which helped me understand how to navigate long-term development projects effectively.

The biggest challenge I faced during the project was the tediousness of some parts of the app. To fill out each state section with its relevant information, it took, on average, about half an hour to complete. To combat this large timesink, I became much better with my time management skills by setting aside certain times during my week to focus solely on coding the app. On top of adding the voting information to each state within the app, I focused on redesigning the overall appearance of the app and added several helpful features. One feature I implemented was a search bar that allows the user to quickly find relevant information within the app from the home screen, instead of having to manually navigate through the pages to find their target. To help my team members and I collaborate on the program, we utilized GitHub to share and control the project’s code. This method of collaborative coding was very effective and allowed us to remotely work with each other on the app and overcome obstacles together. Within the research, my mentors helped me and my partners by facilitating weekly meetings that allowed us to stay focused not only on overcoming short-term obstacles but also on our overall goals for the project.

While the project’s importance has diminished slightly following the recent presidential election, the app remains useful. Furthermore, I plan on continuing to work on the app so that it will be in a polished state when the next cycle of elections comes around.