According to a November 2014 Pew Research Center report
…more and more Americans are using their mobile devices to keep tabs on political events. Some 28% of registered voters have used their cell phone this year to keep up with news relating to the election or political events, which represents a two-fold increase compared with the most recent midterm election cycle. In a survey conducted at the end of the 2010 election campaign, just 13% of registered voters said that they had used their cell phones to keep up with election coverage.
Smart Phone Ownership
will continue to grow. In a January 2014 Pew Research Center survey, 90% of American adults have a cell phone; 58% have a smartphone; and 42% of American adults own a tablet computer. Digging deeper, one finds key constituencies own smart phones....
83%
of 18 - 29 year olds
74%
of 30 - 49 year olds
59%
of African-Americans
61%
of Hispanics
Mobile apps are the logical extension of traditional call to action communication tools such as email blasts, e-newsletters, websites and social media. Why? With mobile apps, anyone – anywhere with a push of a button – can easily have access to information and be ready to engage at that instant with No longer would someone need to remember a website address, open an email, or log on to a social media website to receive information and before they can act.
Potential Users
State and local Democratic Party Committees, Democratic state legislative caucuses, political candidates, grassroots advocacy groups and lobbying firms can use mobile app technology to engage
FUNCTIONS
The following standard functions can be incorporated into mobile apps offered by grassroots advocacy organizations or lobbying firms:
-
Push Notifications
(short message on user’s phone)
-
Contact Us
-
Contact an Elected Official
-Who are my elected officials
-List of legislators
-
News stream via
-Social media
-Blogs, RSS and News Feeds
-
Donate
-
Calendar of Events
-
Issues
-
Provide Feedback
-
Social Share
-
FAQs
-
Refer a Friend
-
Video
Additionally, political parties and political candidates can build upon these functionalities by adding specialized tabs.
- Permission based access
- Access to databases
- GOTV
- Volunteer
- Voter File Access
- My polling place