Election Roundup
By Joshua Levy, 11/08/2006 - 5:05pm

The election fallout pieces are popping up now and some of them bring encouraging news about the effect of the blogosphere and technology on the midterms. Here's a running list of important pieces and sites that suggest the future of social technology and politics:

  • Rick Perlstein posted a piece at TNR online, "Who Deserves Credit for the Democratic Combeback?" For Perlstein the answer isn't Rahm Emanuel but Blue America and the netroots. "The bloggers, blunt as they may be, think they have a better plan for building a lasting Democratic majority. Last night's results suggest the rest of us should start taking it seriously." Kos and myDD have more on the the netroots' now-proven ability to shake up an election.
  • Check out the Polling Place Photo Project and their gallery of election day photos.
  • Some technologies hindered rather than helped the democratic process. Chelsea Clinton couldn't vote at her polling place until she filled out an affidavit and cast a paper ballot. Some voters were treated to annoying "robo calls" that appeared to be designed to deceive voters and keep them away from the polls.
  • Colin Delany at e.politics posted a wrap-up of the election, highlighting "some lessons I’ve taken away from the last few months of online political frenzy."
  • Check out the videos posted at Video the Vote, which document long waits, broken voting machines, and other irregularities.
  • David Cohn at NewAssignment.net provides a roundup up how citizen journalists covered the election, including an interesting look at how, following the lead of bloggers and citizen journalists, newspapers are developing ways to track election problems.

Check out our TechPolitics 2006 Symposium for a glimpse of what prominent technologists, politicos, bloggers, and journalists think about the role of technology in this and future elections.


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