1. Social Media in Election Politics
a.k.a
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

2. Facebook Ratings: Election 2010
Ranking political candidates by their fan counts
51,130
Independent Fans
3,459,799
Republican Fans
1,444,992
Democratic Fans

3. Governors:
13
Democratic States
23
Republican States
Senate:
10
Democratic States
26
Republican States
House:
64
Democratic Districts
126
Republican Districts

4. Top Candidates by Fan Count
Type State Candidate Fans Daily Growth
Senate AZ John McCain (R) 716,325 453 (0.06%)
Governor AZ Jan Brewer (R) 344,969 619 (0.18%)
Governor CA Meg Whitman (R) 206,888 2397 (1.17%)
Governor TX Bill White (D) 153,144 828 (0.54%)
House MN6
Michele Bachman
(R)
139,200 2756 (2.02%)
Senate FL Marco Rubio (R) 132,786 689 (0.52%)
Senate SC Jim DeMint (R) 121,832 721 (0.60%)
Senate NV Sharron Angle (R) 108,538 250 (0.23%)
Governor CA Jerry Brown (D) 97,490 735 (0.76%)
Senate KY Rand Paul (R) 84,928 301 (0.36%)

5. John McCain (R – AZ)
716, 325 Facebook Friends
Nutella
5,515,090 Friends
Garfield
881,773 Friends

6. Question:
Does having Facebook Fans get you
elected to public office?
Answer:
Maybe?

7. Facebook Political Stats
• Less than 3% of Facebook Fans leave
comments
• Less than 5% of Facebook Fans are
signed up as volunteers
• Less than 1% have donated to the
political candidate that they follow on
Facebook
• Viewership for political messages
• Use their fan status to communicate personal political views
• 40% say they use social media for information on political candidates
Con:
Pros:

9. Good Use of Social Media
Scott Brown – Senate Candidate, Massachusetts
Tool: SMS text message 7,000 supporters
Action: Call into Radio Shows to discredit
Martha Coakley, his opponent
Modeled after: Obama messaged supporters
to announce Joe Biden as his VP running mate
• Lists of neighbors to talk to
• Interactive maps
• Share news, photos, videos, and information
right at the door
• Real-time reporting of how many doors you've
knocked and how the conversations went
Organizing for America – iPhone Application
Get everything you need to canvass in the palm of your hand:

10. Bad: Election Home Pages

11. Bad: Election Home Pages

12. Ugly:

13. Ugly:

14. Social Media levels playing field
• Candidates to tell a story
• Create a stronger donation network
• Quick Response to issues
• All politics is local – find your
neighborhood leaders
• Creativity can make up for having a small
budget -- Make politics FUN!

15. References
Silverman, M. (June 9 2010). How Political Campaigns are Using Social Media for Real Results. Retrieved from:
http://mashable.com/2010/06/09/political-campaigns-social-media/
Grohol, J. (October 26, 2010). Does Political Activity on Facebook Translate Into the Real World?. Retrieved
from: http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/10/26/does-political-activity-on-facebook-translate-into-the-
real-world/19967.html
The Official Organizing for America App. Retrieved from:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/iphone2010/
All Facebook Statistics, the Unofficial Facebook Resource. Facebook Ratings, Election 2010. Retrieved from:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/iphone2010/
CNET News, October 25 2006. Images: The Worst Political Sites. Retrieved from: http://news.cnet.com/2300-
1028_3-6129164.html?tag=mncol
Silverman, M. (November 1, 2010) The Future of Social Media & Politics. Retrieved from:
http://mashable.com/2010/11/01/future-social-media-politics/
Murray, S and Wagner, J. (October 8, 2010). In age of Facebook, Twitter and apps, some candidates adapt
better than others. Retrieved from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2010/10/07/AR2010100702662.html