iPhone Apps: The Next Frontier for Political Campaigns

by Terrence O'Brien on June 22, 2010 at 03:32 PM

If we had to call it, 2008 was the year that politicians took to Facebook and Twitter. More ambitious, it seems, 2010 may turn out to be the year of the mobile app. In the lead up to the midterm elections, many candidates for office, even local ones, are releasing iPhone apps in order to reach potential voters.

In 2008, then-Senator Obama saw great success with his iPhone app, which allowed supporters to find local events, contact organizers and donate money. Now other politicians want in on the high-tech game -- even if they're campaigning to only a tiny fraction of the constituency Obama was. For example, Doug MacGinnitie is a Republican running for secretary of state in Georgia, and his campaign has put together a basic iPhone app that provides updates about his quest for office, and allows supporters to donate. It's only been downloaded about 200 times, but it's hardly a failure.

These campaign apps are less about achieving App Store success and polling a candidate's popularity than they are about shaping perceptions and offering tools to active supporters. Simply having an app, even a poorly executed one, can go a long way in convincing the electorate that a candidate is not only technologically literate, but in fact adept -- an increasingly important quality for 21st century politicians.

Some worry (and perhaps rightly so) that Apple's strict control over the App Store could allow it to exert influence over the political process. The company has already had one well publicized dust up with Ari David, who was seeking the Republican nomination for congress, when it rejected David's app for allegedly defaming his potential opponent Henry Waxman.

Of course, with the flood of apps bound to hit the App Store in the coming month, all approvals and rejections by Apple will be examined under a microscope. It's only a matter of time before someone directly accuses Jobs of trying to manipulate U.S. voters. [From: AP]

Tags: AppStore, campaign, iphone, iphone app, IphoneApp, midtermelections, politics, top

Comments

JordanJun 22nd 2010 4:09PM

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Thank god I have a "less popular" device, then. My Android phone won't have to put up with crapware from the politicians.

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MTBMobileJun 22nd 2010 9:25PM

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I agree! 2010 election is the year of the mobile. So what does Apple *really* control during this process?....

Having worked with Apple to deploy several high profile political apps (iAdvocate, NRSC, etc..), and one of the first apps ever approved (SamForGov), the story is not always as one-sided as it may seam. First, we would be the first to express frustration with Apple's political app approval process, as we have continuously been shocked by the invisible fence (undocumented restrictions). However, if your app is rejected, Apple does provide direct communication to app store representatives, and adequate explanation for any rejections. This is not saying you agree with the restrictions!

Our Campaign 2.0 platform has had evolve significantly over the past 8 months, as Apple has learned more about what campaigns are asking to do with mobile technology. After understanding Apple's basic restrictions - we have had great success and a very high first-submission approval rating. In the end, Apple is no more controlling then your local home owners organization, as it tries to protect the integrity and market value of the entire iPhone ecosystem (i.e your neighborhood). Without some type of regulation, the app store will become so cluttered with 'unacceptable' apps that the overall value is diminished and insignificant to all.

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Tom HarleAug 6th 2010 6:14AM

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In the UK, the main three political parties produced iPhone apps for this year's General Election - much like what you're talking about here with the midterms, there was a complete mix of apps, some focussed on existing campaigners, some just 'mobile manifestos, and others which attempted to do both.

The problem we've seen from a user perspective though was that the apps were very little use after the election, at the end of the campaign. At the agency I work for, Public Zone, we've been looking at how we can use mobile to help our Members of Parliament connect more regularly and effectively with the people they represent, and we released an app called MyMP with funding from an organisation called NESTA.

I'd really like to hear what everyone thinks about it - we have a website at http://www.my-mp.org.uk and a little blog at http://mympapp.wordpress.com

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