The US election online

WASHINGTON, USA – A selection of websites, Twitter accounts, blogs and mobile apps to follow or use as the US presidential campaign enters its final stages ahead of the November 6 vote.

TWITTER ACCOUNTS

Media organizations and journalists:

• @POLITICO2012: Known for providing what is arguably the most comprehensive coverage of US politics, Politico tweets the latest news, analysis and opinions about the presidential elections.
• @thecaucus: New York Times journalists on the campaign trail tweet news, analysis, photos and videos, as well as fact-checks.
• @GuardianUS: Features the Guardian’s US coverage — which at the moment devotes a lot of space to the presidential race — with links to live blogs and interactive features on the British newspaper’s website.
• @CPHeinze: Writes about this year’s election for The Hill, a congressional newspaper. Live-tweets significant events and posts links to stories.
• @feliciasonmez: The Washington Post political reporter tweets the usual information about the elections, as well as photos she takes on the campaign trail.
• @MichaelMathes, @StCollinson: Our AFP reporters tweet photos, quotes and stories from both sides of the camp on the campaign trail.

On the Obama camp:

 Other than @BarackObama and his VP @JoeBiden, @davidaxelrod — senior strategist for Obama’s election campaign — is a good person to follow, as are @Lis_Smith — campaign spokeswoman — First Lady @MichelleObama and @teddygoff, digital director for the campaign.

 On the Romney camp:

 Other than @MittRomney and his running mate @PaulRyanVP, the Republican challenger’s spokesman @RyanGOP is good to follow, as is @andreamsaul, another spokeswoman, and @ZacMoffatt, digital director for the campaign.

BLOGS

• Right-leaning: Tea Party hero Rush Limbaugh’s ultra-conservative blog will take you at the heart of Obama-hating America (http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/)
• Left-leaning: The “far left” is represented by the Daily Kos, which rarely misses an opportunity to slate Mitt Romney (http://www.dailykos.com/)
• Technical: Nate Silver, a statistics whiz, analyses Obama and Romney’s chances of winning the election on his blog (http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/author/nate-silver/)
• USA Today and Twitter provide real-time analysis of sentiment on the social network regarding the two candidates. This includes specific information on the situation in swing states (http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politics/twitter-election-meter)

WEBSITES

• Fact-checker: Politifact.com puts statements made by rival camps to the test in its “Truth-O-Meter” to reveal fibs and outright lies. The website won the Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for its coverage of the previous year’s election, during which it checked more than 750 political claims.
• Humor: Since 1996, Jon Stewart pokes fun at everything and everyone in the United States with his team of quirky reporters on satirical news program The Daily Show (www.thedailyshow.com).

MOBILE APPLICATIONS

• Ad Hawk: Allows you to hold up your phone to a television or radio when a political ad is aired, and find out who the sponsors are and who paid for the ads.
• Who should I vote for?: Asks you questions related to the education system, terrorism, health care… and tells you who your ideal candidate is, according to your answers.
• PollTracker: Gives users the latest polling results for presidential and congressional elections.

YOUTUBE, FLICKR, SPOTIFY, TUMBLR, PINTEREST

On the Obama camp:

• Spotify: The 2012 campaign is present on all platforms, including music streaming service Spotify. Barack Obama’s playlist, which includes tunes by Al Green and Arcade Fire:http://open.spotify.com/user/barackobama/playlist/6J9kgSvipjimfDLYTsCOAv
• Flickr: Pics of Obama and his wife, VP Joe Biden and supporters on this photo-sharing site. Mouth-watering shots of dishes served at some of his events also included, for food lovers:http://www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/
• Pinterest: On his page on this platform — which allows users to post and share photos put together by theme — Obama’s team has posted light-hearted snaps, such as photos of the president stroking his dog Bo under the heading “Pet Lovers for Obama”: http://pinterest.com/barackobama/
• Tumblr: Fun gifs (animated pictures) of choice moments such as the presidential debates or speeches, quotes, or supporters’ messages on this blogging platform: http://barackobama.tumblr.com/
• YouTube: On this video-sharing website, 249,000 netizens are fans of Barack Obama’s page, which features campaign ads, or video messages from the First Lady or singer Beyonce:www.youtube.com/user/BarackObamadotcom

On the Romney camp:

• Spotify: What does Mitt Romney listen to when he travels through Ohio on his campaign bus? The Beach Boys, rapper Kid Rock and funk soul band Commodores, according to his Spotify list:http://open.spotify.com/user/mittromney/playlist/5QrwBrWOXSWWdWilN98BPS
• Flickr: Pics of Romney campaigning and countless supporters are all collated here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mittromney?flickr
• Pinterest: Romney may not be very active on this platform, but his wife Ann is. She has posted photos of herself cooking M&M cookies with her grandchildren or of a meatloaf cake — “one of Mitt’s favorites”http://pinterest.com/annromney/
• Tumblr: Photos of Romney, his wife Ann walking for charity, and graphics illustrating why voters should vote for him: http://mittromney.tumblr.com/
• Youtube: Mitt Romney’s channel (26,000 followers) features campaign ads and other videos, including one depicting his “love story” with wife Ann. – Agence France-Presse