Advancing Democratic Practices with Social Media

President-elect Barack Obama's team deployed a sophisticated Internet-based campaign to connect with new voters, particularly those under age 30.  Many grantees of the Fund's Democratic Practice program, such as Independent Media Institute's Webby award-winning WireTap project, Right Question Project, and Minnesota Council of Nonprofits' Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network, have long been utilizing diverse forms of social media—from blogs and videos to online newspapers and Webinars—to teach self-advocacy skills, encourage voter turnout, and endorse fair elections. And their impact is evident: recent statistics reveal how voter turnout in the United States has already reached its highest peak since the Kennedy and Johnson elections of the 1960s.