Blog: Elections

Almost every hand shot up in the crowded auditorium when Zack Exley, a chief organizer of Roots Camp, asked, "How many of you have been to an election recap meeting?" It was close to 11:00 am on Saturday morning, and 400 progressive political junkies had descended on Washington from all over the country for a different kind of election recap. This time we were just looking at what happened online and what we can learn from each other as we move into the national election.

Ian, Jeff, and I joined the crowed. We weren't sure if it was going to be the official kick off to 2008 campaign planning or if it would simply reveal that there is no break between elections. By the end of the day the energy in the room clearly showed that it was the latter and that everyone was fueled with the momentum of the huge Democratic win and looking for the tools to take it up a notch.

Peru chooses its new president today for the next five years. I was in Ayacucho, Peru when the United States voted in 2004, and I'm here still in 2006. Most Peruvians can access the Internet, mostly through internet cabinas that rent out computers for about $.30 an hour, but the election didn’t spur creative internet uses and advances like it did in the United States during the last election.

In a little more than a week In February Haiti is scheduled hopes to hold its first election since Aristide was ousted almost two years ago. So campaigning is in full swing. NPR reported that “the campaigning season has gotten under way, with posters, political rallies and candidate jingles flooding the streets and the airwaves. In a country where more than 50 percent of the people are illiterate, election jingles are one of the most powerful campaign tools.”

On one hand, it makes complete sense that in a country where an estimated 80 percent of the population lives in poverty and with such as high level of illiteracy, that these means would dominate campaigning. But at the same time I can’t believe how untechnical that is. I wonder, are any candidates using the internet or cell phones in their campaigns, and if not, why?