Texting for Campaigns Dollars

California residents will be among the first to donate to political campaigns via text, as politics becomes the latest beneficiary of mobile devices' on-the-fly capabilities.

The process to make campaign donations is the same used for text-based emergency relief efforts. Donors will see the amount pledged appearing on a phone bill, and the amount will be passed along to a campaign. The announcement may get registers "cha-chinging" and, like other emerging technology, the method's novelty will likely generate a lot of buzz in the upcoming election cycle.

Social networks are also playing an increased role in politics. The debut of Republican nominee Mitt Romney's MyMitt online social network is one of the latest example of how politicians are using technological innovation to jump ahead in next year's primaries, and continue momentum into the presidential election.

Voters are also turning to their cell phones to communicate about politics. For example, in the last mid-term elections, ten percent of those surveyed in a Pew study said they text messaged about the elections, while six percent said they used their phones to let people know about conditions at voting stations.

Voters also used their phones in smaller numbers to monitor election results as they came in, share election-related photos and videos, and use apps that provided updates from candidates and political organizations.

California's texting program marks politics' initial steps into a the world of mobile payments at a time when charity organizations and churches are already taking the next step and more fully embracing mobile payments directly from smartphones, without the use of text messaging.

California's program isn't expected to fundamentally change the political fundraising process, but if successful, may provide another efficient tool to enhance those efforts. Supporters are likely to find texting donations easier, and campaigns will appreciate reduced mailing costs.

The new texting rules were approved by California's Fair�Political Practices Commission earlier this year, and Commission Chair Ann Ravel thinks the move will engage more people in the political process.

"It would be great to have lots of states across the country allow text messaging of political contributions so there will be enough interest and pressure to encourage phone companies to participate," Ravel said in a prepared statement.

Similar legislation passed in Maryland is expected to take effect early next year.

Texting for Campaigns Dollars originally appeared at Mobiledia on Thu Dec 22, 2011 3:24 pm.

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