Campaigning on Facebook & Twitter - KOAM TV 7

Campaigning on Facebook & Twitter

This election politicians and political parties have turned to Facebook and Twitter to get their message out, especially to young voters.

"I've seen where some people are using Facebook and Twitter a lot more during the debated to voice their opinions on how each politician is doing during the debates," says MSSU student Matthew Newman.  "I think it's an awesome way to voice your opinion but also, again, it kind of gets annoying to a certain extent, but I've seen that done."

Jordan Overstreet is the executive director for the Southwest Missouri Democrats and says having a Twitter and Facebook, besides the usual door knocking and phone calls, gives them an advantage to gaining voters.

"If we have a change in an event or we're trying to get more people to where we want to get a message out or respond to something, that's one of the ways that, social media such as Twitter and Facebook can be really affective," says Overstreet.

Get Out The Vote project manager Jimmy Morris for the Jasper County Republicans says that they too have a Facebook and that he has noticed local politicians stepping up their posts.

"A few weeks ago we ramped up our Facebook ads just here on a Jasper County Republican level, so we are excited about that, just getting out in front of people letting them know that hey we're here, the office is open, signs are here, you can come in and volunteer, so we're using it in a variety of ways," says Morris.

With Facebook founded in 2004 and Twitter in 2006, both have become more and more popular as time has gone on, a reason why they're both so important this election.

Even though signs and pins are useful, both parties have realized the importance of getting the younger crowd to vote by accessing them the easiest way possible.

"Technology is constantly changing and we're just trying to keep up with it and use it to our advantage," says Morris.