election

Google 'completely wrong' and all you get are Romney pics

This election seems to have become dirtier than an evening with Chelsea Handler.

We, the people, have been forced to don rubber gloves and hazmat suits just to surf the Web. We have been sickened by the verbal listeria that has become an intimate ingredient in every piece of election news.

But surely, surely, not even we could have imagined this.

For if you perform a Google search of the words "completely wrong," you get image after image of Mitt Wrongney. I am so sorry, I meant Mitt Romney.

See how we're being affected by what seems … Read more

Debate makes Big Bird a big hit on Twitter

Big Bird might just be the big winner in tonight's presidential debate. A number of satirical Big Bird accounts popped up on Twitter within moments of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney noting that "I love Big Bird" as he commented that he would cut PBS subsidies to address the national debt.

"100 Retweets and I'm going to make my nest outside Romney's bedroom window," read one tweet from BigBirdRomney (Twitter bio: Romney is willing to cut me. Not cool).

Another account, SadBigBird (bio: Sad Mitt haz no love for me..... or does he?), bragged: "I am owning the #debates." Additional avian accounts BIGBIRD and Fired Big Bird are also flying high on Twitter; as of shortly after the debate's close, each boasted more than 12,000 followers. "Herman Cain/Big Bird 2016," the latter proposed.

The Twitter masses jumped all over Romney's Big Bird comment tonight, with the microblogging site at one point registering 17,000 tweets per minute for "Big Bird" and 10,000 tweets per minute for "PBS," according to Twitter Government, which tracks the use of Twitter for civic engagement. … Read more

Twitter launches dedicated presidential debate page

Whether you're a political junkie or someone just starting to pay attention to next month's presidential election, tonight's first debate between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is sure to provide tons of conversation fodder. And Twitter wants to be right in the middle of it.

Already, Twitter has dispatched members of its @gov team to Denver, where they plan to monitor the debate from up close and keep track of how the massive Twitter user base responds to each and every barb, attack, evasion, and even the occasional thoughtful answer. And to help … Read more

YouTube to air presidential debates live on Elections page

YouTube has partnered with ABC News to cover the four presidential and vice presidential debates.

The company announced today that it will air the three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate live on its Elections Hub page. YouTube says it will get the feed live from the ABC News YouTube channel and will air the four debates in their entirety.

YouTube's airing marks the first time the company has streamed the presidential debates. After they air, the debates can also be viewed in full on youtube.com/politics.

To enhance its coverage, YouTube will have commentary and analysis … Read more

Facebook enhances timeline events with 'registered to vote'

Facebook users can post to their timelines that they have a new tattoo, they're learning how to play a new instrument, and other "life events;" and, as of today, they can also announce that they're registered to vote.

The social network is rolling out this new "life event" as the 2012 presidential election season heats up.

"Election Day in the United States is right around the corner and people are increasingly using Facebook to discuss candidates, campaigns, and critical issues facing the country," Facebook wrote in a blog post. "Starting today, … Read more

California joins other states in allowing online voter registration

The number of states that now allow online voter registration is growing. And it only makes sense that Silicon Valley's home would be on that list. As of today, California is the newest state that lets its residents register to vote on the Web.

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen announced the news today.

"Today, the Internet replaces the mailbox for thousands of Californians wishing to register to vote," she said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "Today we are taking the next step in the never-ending evolution of democracy and reaching every Californian."

Within … Read more

More than half of users polled would vote via mobile devices

Would you use your mobile device to vote in an election? A majority of people recently polled said they would, at least under the right conditions.

Among smartphone and tablet owners asked, 60 percent said they'd cast their vote for the next president through a mobile app or text message -- if they could do so without any fear of fraud.

Conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Internet radio provider Stitcher, the poll also found that 49 percent of mobile device owners ages 18 to 34 are using more apps to stay up to date on election information … Read more

Facebook uses peer pressure to bring out the vote

Facebook may be wielding the power of the polls with peer pressure. According to a new study, when users see that their friends have voted, they're far more likely to go vote themselves.

Titled "A 61-million-person experiment in social influence and political mobilization," the study examines the influence of Facebook friends on voting behaviors. It looks specifically at the U.S. elections in 2010 and concludes that the social network's "get out the vote" message brought more than 300,000 more voters to the polls.

"Our study suggests that social influence may be … Read more

Web site presents 'all sides' of election news (podcast)

John Gable doesn't believe that there is really such a thing as objective journalism. "There's a great group of reporters that have really tried to be unbiased but as an individual," he said, "it's impossible to do that and do that reliably."

He feels that voters would be better off if they knew where writers and editorial organizations are coming from, so he built a "bias engine" to calculate that so his new site, Allsides.com, can link to articles from the left, right, and center "and bring the best … Read more