Using the Internet Not New in Politics

Using the web in elections is not new, as articles posted on MSNBC.com show that other countries around the world have even experimented with using the web as an alternative way to cast ballots in elections. In 2003, the U.S. government used the Internet to permit soldiers and civilians overseas to vote. The program, known as SERVE—Secure Electronic Registration and Voting Experiment—had both supporters and opponents. This was the second such electronic voting experiment. In 2005, the country of Estonia became the first country in the world to host internet elections. The article reports that the country hailed the election a success despite low participation. So perhaps it is not that the Internet has become a new platform for elections, but the ways that American politicians are using Web 2.0 to transform the voting public’s traditional expectation of U.S. Presidential campaigns.

A number of media outlets have been discussing perhaps the most prominent issue of the ’08 presidential race—the Internet. Talk of the economy, tax breaks and hikes, the war in Iraq is being conducted in a new forum—online. Gone are the days when the Big 3 had control over how the public was made aware of the candidates’ ideas, opinions, slipups, and media flubs—whether the public was interested or not. In fact, the Internet is the new battleground. There are vast differences in the ways McCain and Obama are using the web and traditional and new media news outlets are beginning to cover the advantageous and ineffective ways the GOP and Democratic Party candidates are using the web. An article, “Measuring Up Online” by Bridget McCrea posted at Black Enterprise website highlights the differences in the way that the candidates are using the web. The article discusses how the candidates are using the web to reach potential voters.

New media can expose inconsistencies in the election process as in the video of illegal tactics used in the recent Zimbabwe election made public by the Guardian online a British newspaper.