Internet Interests

Elections Via the Internet

As our annual Chapter elections approach and we watch the national elections that occur in November, I can’t help but notice what an influence the Internet is having on elections at all levels.

There was a time when most Americans had only their local newspaper to turn to for information about elections and even then what little information they did receive, was usually tainted by biased opinion and only a partial disclosure of the facts. When radio became widespread, politicians were able to get their messages out to a wider audience and when television campaigns began, even people in remote regions could finally see and hear from the politicians themselves.

Studies are now showing that there has been a significant increase in voters who are using the Internet to research both candidates and the issues. At last, candidates are truly being able to get their messages out to the public and are being given the opportunity to present themselves the way that they want to be presented by operating their own campaign websites. Candidates have the ability to immediately provide press releases on any issues that need addressing and candidates can now provide in-depth information, effectively changing the way we think about our elections.

Examples of the kinds of in-depth research that are now possible include a candidate’s voting record, campaign contributors, event schedules, political endorsements, recorded speeches & transcripts, and biographies. In some cases, candidates can use their websites to show you the most recent (and usually only the most favorable) polls or election results.

Political websites are being used to gather campaign contributions and to gather voter opinions. Many politicians have recognized the power of these websites and they are reading their emails to find out what they need to do to get elected. They are sending out broadcast emails to keep their voting base loyal and to inform the undecided voters about what they stand for. They are looking at the poll results that are coming in from their websites and they are running campaigns that are more real-time with the hot issues.

Is all this information helping anyone? Apparently so; many voters now claim to be better informed about their choices and the politicians claim to be better informed about their constituencies. American voters are making more informed decisions these days and the Internet can claim a lot of credit for this. We are seeing less “slogan politics” and more of “substance politics” instead. The Internet is forcing our politicians to give us real solutions instead of just popularity contests.

Is the Internet going to soon become the next voting machine? There are many issues to be overcome first if it is. We will have to overcome hacker issues, vote duplication, and availability before this becomes a real voting alternative. But considering all of the rapid changes occurring to the Internet, it may not be too much longer before we can all have the convenience of being able to vote from home or office or PDA whenever and wherever it is convenient for us. It may even mean that we will finally have high voter turnouts for every election because of how easy we have made it for people to vote.

Yes, it is fair to say that the Internet has changed the political landscape of America and that it will continue to have a major influence on our politics for many years to come. The Internet forces politicians to come clean about their voting records and to clearly define their political stances and proposed solutions. The Internet’s new threshold of accountability is something that has revolutionized the face of American politics.

Respectfully submitted by Steve Duell
SFBA Chapter Webmaster
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