Candidates Hit the E-Campaign Trail

They post, twitter, link, chat and text. Verbs that last campaign season were barely on anyone’s radar, are now part of the daily vocabulary of those running for public office.

Candidates in Downers Grove, and elsewhere across the country, are finding that they need to vigorously e-campaign in order to keep up with voters who are increasingly technologically savvy. The Internet in general and social media and online news sites specifically, are dramatically changing the nature and scope of the political race.

Ten years ago when he ran for village commissioner, current mayoral candidate Martin Tully launched a website which, at the time, was cutting edge. “That was a pretty new thing at the time and I remember getting attention from the Downers Grove Reporter. It’s ironic that now websites are old news,” he said. “Whereas you use to have one website that a webmaster would be off somewhere updating periodically, now social media is much more dynamic and interactive.”

A Good Means to Get a Message Across

 Geoff Neustadt, who ran successfully for Village Council in 2007, has maintained his website from that campaign. During his term it primarily has served to make him accessible to residents. “If someone did a search on me, they could get a hold of me pretty easily," he said. "It’s important to have any kind of electronic means available for people to get a hold of candidates and elected officials.”

Now he uses his website to share his experience and views on different issues. Neustadt also is using Facebook to announce events and recruit volunteers. “Facebook is a good means to get a simple message across,” he said.

The accessibility and reach of social and online news media seem to be helping a greater number of residents stay informed and engaged, said Mark Thoman, who is running for Village Council. “As opposed to the day when there was only print media, there are definitely now more sources."

"There are more ways to get differing views about actions taken by the Village Council, and the residents certainly have the ability to weigh in with their own personal opinions online as do the village officials themselves," Thoman said. "I think that’s healthy.” 

Village Council candidate Becky Rheintgen is doing as much as she can to run a “green” campaign, using email blasts, videos and Facebook to share information. In addition to being environmentally friendly, the use of electronic media helps to level the playing field financially, she said.

A Cost-Effective Way of Making Contact

“All of us spent some money getting our websites started. Now posting things on the website and on Facebook isn’t as much of an expense and is a great way for people to find out about you without having to mail to every address in Downers Grove," Rheintgen said. "Plus people get bombarded with so many pieces of printed materials that I don’t know how much attention they get.”

Social media and online news sites also permit voters to question candidates and respond to information and news reports almost instantaneously. “Ten years ago, you wouldn’t hear anything until maybe a rumor would show up as a letter to the editor in a newspaper," Tully said. "Then you’d have to wait until the next edition to write a response. It would be difficult to straighten out information, accusations and rumors on a timely basis."

“Now, we’re really in the era of self-publication with the new media such as Patch and TribLocal," he said. "You can self-publish. If there’s something out there that you want to respond to or comment about, you can do so instantaneously and reach a wide audience.”

The conversations sparked by stories and posts on Facebook and Patch offer insights to candidates seeking to represent their constituents. “If you believe that you know what’s best for everyone, then you’re fooling yourself," said John Page, a Village Council candidate.

"If you believe that you are somehow channeling everyone in Downers Grove so you know without having to ask or receive feedback as to what your constituency is feeling, then I think you are fooling yourself," he said. "Social media provides an avenue for the average Joe or Josephine to provide you with that feedback. Not to necessarily change your mind, but to perhaps help you to change your thinking.”

The Power of the Laptop

“What was once the power of the press is now the power of the laptop," Page said. "Everyone can have a say, good or bad, right or wrong. Everyone can make their own opinion heard. In ways, this helps make better decisions because you’ve gotten input.” This also helps to promote transparency, which Page said benefits all parties involved.

While the Internet enhances a campaign, candidates said they still prefer pounding the pavement in the interest of face-to-face interaction. “What I find to be the most enjoyable part of the process is meeting people," Thoman said. "You can’t meet face-to-face via an Internet connection.”

Tully agreed that shaking hands and talking directly to residents is his favorite part of the campaign process, as did Page.

 “Yesterday, I was out there all day meeting people, hand-to-hand, face-to-face," Page said. "That’s probably the most effective way; the problem being that you can only do one at a time. With email and social media, you can reach more people, probably a little easier.” 

Rheintgen also said her greatest impact is from meeting people face-to-face. “Campaign coffees and meet-and-greets are the best impact you can make. You can meet people, tell them what’s important to you and have them share what’s important to them. But there aren’t many opportunities for these as people are really busy,” she said.

When she meets people through campaign events and just on the street, Rheintgen friend-requests them on Facebook. “It’s another opportunity for me to get my name out there.”

In addition to working full-time, having a family and serving as a current village commissioner, Neustadt said that time for campaigning comes at the end of an important list of priorities. While his preference would be to “ring every doorbell in town,” it’s not feasible, so emailing and Facebook help to get messages out to a lot of supporters easily.

Not Everyone is Online

In addition to being less personal, the candidates are also cognizant of the fact that e-campaigning doesn’t reach everyone. “Just because social media is the latest and greatest, you can’t lose sight of the fact that not everyone is on it, so you need traditional methods as well,” said Tully.  

“I have found that a significant portion of the village voting population doesn’t pay attention to Facebook, isn’t on Twitter, and uses email just for basic information," Thoman said. "With Facebook you tend to communicate with people wanting to be on there who are tech savvy. That’s not necessarily the majority of the voters.”

An additional byproduct of the Internet from which candidates are benefiting is PayPal, used for campaign donations. “It’s very beneficial to me," Neustadt said. "Using PayPal to take donations online has been fortuitous and profitable. It allows people to have quicker access to making a contribution to a campaign."

But perhaps the best outcome of e-campaigning is the number of voters who are reached and, hopefully, inspired to cast a ballot. “We have a very informed and engaged community,” Tully said. “This makes for a better village. It keeps us all on our toes.”