SMS and the 2008 Election

Over three-quarters of Americans are estimated to own cell phones and each month there are over 15 billion text messages sent within the country. With these facts in mind, it’s no wonder that companies and organizations have begun to realize the benefit of exploiting SMS as a means of profit and promotion. Fox’s “American Idol” was one of the first to notice this potential medium when they began to encourage viewers to vote via text rather than phone calls. After a few years of this, over 30 percent of all submitted votes are done via text message. Other shows including “Deal or No Deal” and “Big Brother” have quickly followed suit and seen beneficial results. And this trend isn’t stopping at the television.

A growing list of presidential candidates – so far, all Democrats – are beginning to use text messaging as part of their campaigning. Recognizing that the cell phone is the one piece of technology that is with users at all times, the various new-media directors of Democratic candidates believe it’s a technology worth exploiting.

This isn’t the first time text messaging has been used for political purposes. Both California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former senator Rick Santorum utilized text messaging in their reelection campaigns. Stronger examples can be found overseas in the presidential elections in the Philippines, South Korea, and Spain. In Spain, enough voters were organized through text messaging to vote out the governing Popular Party. Through Spain’s example, SMS messages are proving to be an effective way at producing long-lasting and important decisions, even where politics and the government are concerned.

The different Democratic front-runners are using SMS in a variety of ways. John Edwards was the first candidate to launch a mobile campaign. His campaign has sent texts urging supporters to join his Young America program and sign a petition to end the war in Iraq (both of which could be accomplished by text). He also launched a fundraising drive via SMS that started with a text message and was followed by a prerecorded phone call from Edwards. Other Presidential hopefuls have utilized this exciting technology. Barack Obama has employed text messaging by offering free bumper stickers, ring tones, and cellular phone backgrounds to texting supporters. In addition, supporters can text their questions and get a response from a small group of volunteers within minutes. Hilary Clinton launched her mobile campaign in May and has sent a couple of texts, one about her debate appearance and another urging her supporters to vote for their favorite campaign song. It is clear that SMS has made inroads into popular culture and politics in America, and will only continue to grow in the future.